Get All Access for $5/mo

Technical Glitch: Ola App Sends False Booking Notifications To Users On Tuesday, users complained of receiving notifications from the ride-hailing app without making any bookings; money deducted from wallet without availing ride in some cases, claimed users on Twitter

By Debarghya Sil

You're reading Entrepreneur India, an international franchise of Entrepreneur Media.

Ola/Youtube
Representational

In a mysterious development, India's homegrown cab aggregator Ola Cabs on Tuesday sent notifications to multiple users. Strangely, the users concerned did not even attempt to book a cab through its platform.

Notifications such as "Your ride is on the way' or "Your ride is here' were sent to users. The in-app notifications also shared the name of the driver, vehicle number and the required one-time-password (OTP)) to start the ride. If the ride was cancelled, in some cases it even attempted to automatically book another ride. However, once clicked on the notification, the app opens up to a fresh page with no sign or indication of a booked cab.

Srijan Agarwal, a Bengaluru-based user, said he was receiving random booking notifications from Ola. Agarwal recalled that he started getting such notifications from 6PM which continued till midnight.

Anand Prakash, an ethical hacker, too, received such notifications since 11:30PM. "I was able to see OTP, driver's name, cab number of some other ride. In another notification, I saw some other trip has ended," shared Prakash.

People over social media have expressed annoyance about such in-app notifications as well.

In an alarming instance, money from Ola wallet was even deducted from the account because of the false ride.

The issue seems to have been across the country. Entrepreneur India confirmed that the said problems were reported from Delhi, Bengaluru and Chennai, at least.

Upon asking Ola over Twitter, the company responded: ""Hi, Apologies for any inconvenience caused. Please be advised that this is some technical issue and the same has been highlighted to the relevant team."

However, since Wednesday morning no such notifications were further received by users.

Entrepreneur India reached out to Ola for an official comment and the copy will be updated once a response is received.

Debarghya Sil

Entrepreneur Staff

Former Correspondent

News and Trends

Recur Club Announces Credit Offerings for Startups Beyond Series A and SMEs

In FY 24–25, the platform also plans to deploy an additional INR 2000 crores through its Recur Swift program for startups.

News and Trends

Uber Launches Moto Women in Bengaluru, Connecting Female Riders with Female Drivers

Uber Moto Women aims to ensure safety with real-time trip sharing, anonymised contact details, and RideCheck monitoring for irregularities. It also offers 24x7 priority support via Uber's Safety Helpline for women riders and drivers.

News and Trends

Talent, Digital Infra, Policy, and Startups Driving India's GCC Ecosystem

By leveraging its demographic dividend and evolving policies, India is uniquely positioned to become the preferred choice for global enterprises seeking scalability, resilience, and a future-ready operational base.

Business Ideas

63 Small Business Ideas to Start in 2024

We put together a list of the best, most profitable small business ideas for entrepreneurs to pursue in 2024.

News and Trends

Indian Venture Ecosystem Poised for Global Ascent: Recovery, IPO Resurgence, and 'Building for Bharat' to Define 2025

India's GDP is poised to scale from USD 4 trillion to USD 8 trillion over the next decade and will offer a playground that is remarkable for both founders and venture capital (VC) firms, said Pranav Pai, Founding Partner and CIO at 3one4 Capital.

News and Trends

FinX and FirstClub Raise Early-Stage Funding

The startups listed below have disclosed investment rounds.