Hi @ola_supports@Olacabs , I just booked a cab from Bhubaneswar Railway station to the airport. Two things happened and you need to take some kind of action so pls read on: 1. I was shown an estimate of Rs.88 while booking, but then I reach the destination and the bill comes
to Rs.160. The driver says it must be parking charges (Rs.55) which got added. I checked the breakup. It indeed was. Why do I have to pay a parking charge for entering the airport? It doesn't happen even in Delhi or Mumbai airports (There it happens only at 'Arrivals' and that
additional amount is shown in the app before booking). NEVER AT DEPARTURE! Also, the airport entry allows a 5-min time for FREE stay for vehicles. At 3.30 AM, there was no more than 2 vehicles I spotted on the road entering the airport. Surely my cab wouldn't take more than
5 mins to drop me in and get out.
2. More important: I booked the cab and was heading to the Ola pick up area at Tanishq on the front side of the railway station. I had already spoken to the driver and was looking for the car since all Ola cabs were parked there. Suddenly I am
approached by 2 other Ola cab drivers who enquire where I want to go. I said I have already booked a cab and headed straight looking for it. Found it soon enough. The driver was getting out of the car and these other drivers threatened him- 'Cancel the booking, let the guest
go with us or goons will vandalise your car just like it was done few days ago'.
I was amused and a little scared since Bhubaneswar is quite scant at 3 AM and there were no other people around. They went on to narrate a complete story of a Ola cab lying vandalised near the
airport. The entire time they were polite to me and kept talking amongst themselves so I could hear them and get scared and give in to their demands. My driver was a silent observer of the entire thing. I finally got irritated and asked him if he wants to drive me to the airport
or I should take an auto from the station. I made it clear I won't be going with the other 'Ola' guys. He thought for a minute (and the threats continued in the background) and said he would take me. The other drivers told him "Go at your own risk. The goons might just break your
car at the next turn." I sat in the car, gave the OTP and we left. My driver immediately told me they were fooling us and wanted me to get scared, pay more and go with them. I was still sceptical about the journey, wondering if someone would actually stop us in the middle of the
road. Thankfully we were at the airport in less than 5-7 mins with no incidents.
I knew the taxi associations cause trouble to Ola/Uber drivers near Bhubaneswar station. This is the first time I saw OLA DRIVERS HARASSING OTHER OLA DRIVERS SO THE CUSTOMER GETS SHIT SCARED IN THE
MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT AND GIVES IN TO THEIR DEMANDS. I SHUDDER TO THINK WHAT COULD HAVE GONE WRONG AND WHAT IF I WAS A GIRL OR A MAN WITH A FAMILY. I THOUGHT TAKING OLA RIDES WAS SAFER THAN THE LOCAL TAXI ASSOCIATIONS.
I don't want my driver to face any issues with you because I
think he did something gutsy by accepting to take me and standing against his own people. I don't have the identities of the other drivers but I'm sure they can be identified if my driver wishes.
Today I received a personal thank you message from the co-founder of a responsible tourism company I worked with last year, for the videos I made for them which has lately resulted in a lot of enquiries for their trips.
A story thread with lessons for all content creators ⬇️
During a travel summit in mid-2019 I met the co-founders of this decade old responsible travel company that until then had mostly catered to foreign guests visiting rural India. They wanted to work with Indian content creators and attract domestic tourists.
Over the next few weeks we discussed the idea and a week-long trip was planned.
Yes, it was paid work. And no, there were no mandates.
They just said “We want you to go there and document your raw experience in your vlogs. Click some nice photos if you can”.
Launching a NEW weekly short video series on my @YouTube channel. The objective? Share info of the many known & unknown tourist spots of my beautiful home state #Odisha 😀
#Bhubaneswar- the capital of #Odisha and one of the first planned cities of independent India- has a lot in store for tourists. Check it all out in the new '2 minute' episode.
#Cuttack- the historic former capital of #Odisha has loads of history, museums & is a delight during festivals. Can you tell what is the city's link with #Bali in #Indonesia?
There has been a drastic fall in traffic on my @YouTube channel this month. I've been reading that it is the same with a lot of travel #creators across the world. ☹️
At the same time, we all seem to have a lot of time & less things to do in this work from home situation.😃
So..
If you are a creator, add your best vlogs/blogs to this thread. I'm going to add my best ones too.
All of us can watch/read these at home + add new places to our bucket list for the other side of the epidemic.
Let's support creators & spread some positivity.
RT for reach 😀
Let me start with my favourite: Mt. Bromo active volcano in Java, Indonesia 😃
1/4 Taking my usual route home on-board the Bhubaneswar #RajdhaniExpress & I was greeted with this new decoration of the train rake by @NALCO_India. Brilliant initiative by @RailMinIndia to promote @odisha_tourism & the rich cultural heritage of #Odisha.
More pics in thread.
2/4 I was able to spot several historic monuments, natural reserves, wildlife destinations, & dance forms of the state.
3/4 Odisha is indeed a haven for wildlife enthusiasts! These are just a few, there is so much more.
Updates on the situation #Bhubaneswar#Puri#Odisha. Also a few thoughts on what's (NOT) been happening in the media & what WE can do to help. #CycloneFani
It's time to #RebuildOdisha. Pls go through the 14 images in this thread or the link in the next tweet. Pls RT, Share (1/4)
This is a tiny stream that flows into the Mahanadi downstream. #Hirakud Dam gates have not been opened yet. It’s already flood situation! #Odisharain#OdishaFlood#Sambalpur