I have had the opportunity to try out various ride hailing services in our country, except for the most recent ones. Once I found a service that I liked, which happened to be Feres, I remained loyal to it for several years. One of the aspects that I appreciated about Feres was the prompt arrival of drivers after placing a request, along with the relatively affordable fares and the added benefit of earning mobile card through Feres miles. However, there was one feature that never seemed to work for me, which was the option to exchange miles for another trip. Despite this minor inconvenience, the application itself was user-friendly and efficient. I heavily relied on Feres until the drivers started canceling my requests, not just once but on multiple occasions. Unfortunately, these cancellations occurred precisely when I needed their services the most. I reached out to the service provider and filed a complaint, but the problem persisted.
Eventually, I decided to uninstall the application from my phone. I understand that some drivers may be reluctant to go to certain locations, as I have been informed by several drivers who mentioned that they often return without any customers. They view such trips as unprofitable and therefore pointless. However, I find it difficult to comprehend this perspective since drivers willingly signed up to transport customers to their desired destinations. If the job is not financially viable for them, perhaps they should consider alternative employment options that would yield greater profits. It should not be the customer's responsibility to calculate whether or not a driver's return trip is profitable. The customer's role is simply to pay for the service provided to them. Any issues or concerns that drivers have should be addressed with the ride hailing company that employs them.
I find it incredibly frustrating when drivers agree to my request and then keep me waiting, only to cancel the trip when I thought they had arrived. It's even more infuriating when they don't have the decency to cancel it from the beginning. I understand that they receive requests based on their proximity, but if they don't want to go, they should at least cancel after telling the customer. Some drivers don't even bother picking up their phones to inform you that they have canceled, especially if you are not using an app to request a ride. You will only find out when you either get a call from the call center or when they take longer than expected, and by then, you know they are not coming. There have been numerous occasions where I have called for a ride and saw a normal taxi approaching, although I didn't want to spend a significant amount of money on a short ride, but I refrained from canceling feeling guilty as the taxi I requested was already on the way. However, there were a few instances where the ride took too long, and a taxi came by, so I ended up taking it without a second thought. It's not just me who is bothered by Feres’s drivers canceling their requests; I have heard many others complain about it as well. I hope the company realizes that people are choosing not to use their services because of these drivers. Unfortunately, it takes years to build a good reputation but only minutes to destroy it.
This incident has made me realize that many individuals, including myself, have a strong aversion to confrontation. We are so afraid of facing difficult situations that we would go to great lengths to avoid them. For instance, when someone owes money to another person and is unable to fulfill their promise, their immediate response is to ignore the creditor's calls, as if that would erase the debt. Similarly, if someone is invited to an event they don't want to attend, they will inform the host that they cannot make it, but when the host persists in convincing them to come, they resort to switching off their phones. I must admit that I have also resorted to such tactics at some point in my life.
We convince ourselves that by doing so, we are buying ourselves more time, but in reality, we are only deceiving ourselves. Regardless of the consequences, we must confront our problems and the people involved. Although it may be intimidating to confront someone, especially when the reason for confrontation is their failure to fulfill their obligations in the first place, avoiding the situation and leaving the other person in a state of uncertainty and anger is even worse. The only way to escape confrontation is to face it head-on and resolve it through open conversation. Running away from a problem does not make it disappear; it can only be resolved through active engagement. Similarly, in the future, if I encounter a situation where a ride I have ordered is being canceled by the driver for any reason, I would expect the driver to either call me to explain the situation or simply inform me of the cancellation and arrange for a replacement.