'Gutkha Free’ Uber driver badge? Mumbai man’s post on civic sense sparks online debate

A social media user has raised concerns regarding the civic sense of cab aggregator drivers and the safety of passengers while giving them feedback. In a detailed post on LinkedIn, Sidhant Bakshi, who describes himself as an associate creative director, shared that the complaint isn't about surging prices or poor service but about basic "civic sense."

In his post, he addressed Uber and said: "This is not a complaint about your massive surge price, the quality of cars that are sent, or even about your interface. It's rather a pertinent issue that purely exists in India - Drivers lacking basic civic sense and respecting sanitation in a city."

He asserted that he had several encounters where drivers spit tobacco (gutka) while waiting at traffic signals in Mumbai.

"As a Mumbai resident, I can safely say that "9 out of 10" drivers that I've travelled with (Did the mental math on this), literally stop at every second or third traffic signal to spit out the glorious crimson-coloured Gutkha from their mouths," he wrote.

‘Disgusting and just vile’

Calling the behaviour "quite disgusting and just vile", Bakshi said he had asked drivers not to spit during rides but often received dismissive or puzzled reactions.

"I have often requested drivers not to do this, and the majority of the time it's met with this disdain or puzzled look that says, "You ok bro? This is normal." Apparently, spitting out gutkha in the middle of a crowded city has become so normalised that even questioning it makes you the odd one out," he added.

Bakshi then stated that he avoids giving honest feedback over possible confrontation or retaliation.

"This is where the other issue stems from - safety. To avoid any scuffles, hostility, or the possibility of a driver taking offence and turning on me later, I often end up avoiding giving an honest rating or feedback," he wrote.

He said passengers may have concerns because ride-hailing apps contain information such as contact details, trip history and, in some cases, addresses.

"The app contains our contact information, trip history and, in many cases, our literal addresses. So, the possibility of retaliation becomes higher," Bakshi said.

Bakshi acknowledged that different passengers may face different levels of vulnerability while travelling alone, particularly women.

"Look, I genuinely understand the privilege that I come from. I’m a man, I’m the customer, and I have relatively fewer vulnerabilities in these situations. In comparison to the greater risks women face while traveling alone, these concerns may not seem too serious to look into," he wrote.

Bakshi calls for stronger checks

However, he argued that this should not mean that passenger comfort and basic civic behaviour are overlooked.

"But that shouldn’t mean that aspects like basic civic behaviour and passenger comfort are ignored. I genuinely feel there needs to be stronger background checks, clearer behavioural expectations and some accountability around basic civic and city rules," Bakshi said.

He also mentioned traffic violations, saying he would address those concerns separately.

"Please understand that Uber’s reputation doesn’t just depend on its app, pricing or technology. It depends heavily on the quality and behaviour of the drivers representing the brand every single day," he added.

Here's how people reacted:

The post has evoked a multitude of reactions, dividing users in the comment section, with several defending the ride-hailing app and stating that teaching civic sense is not Uber's responsibility, while others suggested ways that could help drivers learn basic hygiene practices.

One user wrote: "You do know what drivers drive for Uber (and other apps simultaneously), right? Uber does not own them. If Uber bans drivers, or keeps a "civic-sense filter", it'll just end up with less supply and riders will move to competing apps.

None of this solves the problem, btw. You'll just be tagging a different company in another post, saying the same stuff. In the end, civic sense is a country-wide problem.

That being said, some options (sadly, priced higher) such as Premier/Black are based around rider experience and Uber ensures and vets the driver behaviour or vehicles with more care.

The latter part is the general state of India. You can find all the luxuries or being in a developed country, if you pay more money. Else, you are downgraded to the reality.

We'll get there - our generation and next, you and I. Slowly.

Opinions are my own, and don't reflect that of my employer."

Another user wrote: "Uber needs to add a verified badge for drivers "Gutkha Free". This can come from aggregating user feedback in the app. Like how they ask 'was the AC working' in between the ride.

It's just a simple intercept survey that can be popped up during the ride!

And so based on this data/ record over a period of time - say a quarter - a driver can claim "Gutkha Free" driver badge!"

A third user said: "Drivers eating/spitting gutka is not Uber's problem. They can do all types of verification checks, but they cannot stop people from getting onboarded on the platform for the reason that a driver eats gutka. Even i had a similar thought in my mind but the problem is the availability of gutka in India, ban it completely. If it's available, how can a company take an action on usage of it. 9/10 drivers are consuming it the company's supply will get affected.

To summarise, it's not Uber's headache to filter out people consuming gutka; it should have been banned in the first place; it's a government problem.

Also, gutka was supposed to be banned; in fact, it is banned, but still people are consuming it via the "Twin-Packet" Loophole; read around it, you'll be amazed xD"

LiveMint has reached out to Uber for details on its behavioural guidelines and penalties for civic or hygiene-related complaints. The story will be updated once the response is received.