Cab, Auto Drivers in Kashmir Report Online Payment Scams

by Babra Wani

SRINAGAR: A ride is only complete when the fare is paid. But for three drivers in Srinagar, promises of GPay payments vanished after passengers left, leaving them without earnings and raising concerns about digital payment safety.

Three transport operators in Srinagar, including two cab drivers and one auto-rickshaw driver were scammed by passengers who promised to pay through GPay but failed to complete the transactions. The incidents raise concerns about the reliability of digital payment methods for drivers in the city.

One cab driver, who works with ten cab service companies, said he was scammed twice in recent weeks. In the first case, a female passenger boarded his cab for a ride costing Rs 400. She asked for Rs 400 cash from him and promised to transfer the money including the fare which was Rs 400 via GPay after leaving the cab. “Once she got off, I called her, but she did not answer. I never received the payment,” the driver said.

In the second incident, a passenger booked a ride through a ride-hailing platform and did not pay the Rs 250 fare at the end of the journey. The driver said he could not contact the passenger again through the app. “I now take cash only because digital payments are not reliable,” he said.

An auto-rickshaw driver, Khursheed Ahmad said he trusted a male passenger in his late twenties who promised to pay via GPay at the end of the ride. “I trusted him. I could not earn anything else that day because I was relying on that payment,” he said.

All three drivers said they consider taking someone else’s earnings a violation of principle. “Kisi ka haq khana gunnah hai. Un paesu se koi mahal khada nahi hota, (Taking someone else’s rightful earnings is a sin. No palace is built with such money.)” they said.

Experts in the informal transport sector said such incidents are becoming more common as passengers shift to digital payments. “Digital platforms offer convenience, but they also create opportunities for fraud. Drivers cannot always verify payments immediately,” said one.

Drivers’ experiences show that the risks of digital payments have led many operators to return to cash-only transactions. “Cash is the only secure way to receive payment,” the cab driver said.

For transport operators, a single unpaid fare can have a direct impact on their daily earnings. Drivers often depend on income from multiple trips to cover fuel, maintenance, and household needs. “A single scam affects the whole day’s work,” the auto-rickshaw driver said.

Ride-hailing companies and other digital platforms provide in-app dispute resolution, but many drivers said they either do not know how to use the system or find it difficult to resolve issues.

Authorities and platform operators have not yet introduced measures specifically aimed at preventing such fraud. Drivers say the lack of safeguards increases the risk and undermines trust between service providers and passengers. “When I contacted the app service, they said they cannot help me and that I should take cash next time and if a passenger refuses cancel the ride,” one cab driver who was scammed said.

The incidents also reflect the broader challenge of relying on digital payments in sectors where transactions are usually immediate and cash-based. Drivers said they continue to work under these conditions but now exercise more caution when accepting payments via apps.

“These incidents show that trust is essential in our work. When passengers do not pay as promised, it affects not only us but the system as a whole,” one cab driver said.

Drivers said they hope for awareness among the public and stricter measures to ensure timely and accurate payments.

Until such systems are in place, many transport operators in Srinagar plan to continue relying on cash transactions to secure their earnings and protect their daily income.