
An Ola scooter was engulfed in flames outside the company’s showroom in Bengaluru, igniting a wave of social media commentary and trolling. The incident occurred in the BTM Layout area, near Jayadev Hospital, and was captured on video, which quickly went viral after being shared by Congress spokesperson Lavanya Ballal Jain on the platform X (formerly Twitter).
In the video, bystanders can be seen recording the flaming scooter as flames engulf the vehicle, drawing attention from the public. The incident prompted a flurry of negative reactions online, with many users mocking Ola for what they perceive as substandard products. Comments included jabs at Ola’s CEO, Bhavish Aggarwal, with some labeling him a “scamster.” Others humorously dubbed the incident as Ola’s “special Diwali feature,” with one user sarcastically remarking, “That’s Ola’s corporate diwali party,” while another questioned if the company was “Preparing for Diwali Dhamaka?”
This fire incident comes on the heels of ongoing complaints regarding Ola Electric’s scooters, with consumers expressing dissatisfaction with the company’s service. Just a day before the fire, Ola Electric had announced that it resolved 99.1% of customer complaints to their satisfaction, following scrutiny from the Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) over thousands of service-related grievances.
Nidhi Khare, Secretary of the Department of Consumer Affairs, commented on the situation, stating, “The CCPA is looking into a large number of complaints about Ola Electric, mainly related to service inefficiencies. We hope the company addresses these concerns promptly and resolves the issues faced by consumers.”
In response to the CCPA’s notice regarding complaints, Ola Electric’s Chief Financial Officer, Harish Abhichandani, defended the company, stating, “We wish to reiterate that Ola Electric has a robust mechanism to address complaints concerning our vehicles. Out of the 10,644 complaints we received from the CCPA, 99.1% were resolved to the complete satisfaction of the customer as per Ola Electric’s comprehensive redressal mechanism.”
Ola’s CEO, Bhavish Aggarwal, has also been involved in controversies related to customer service. Earlier this month, he had a public disagreement with comedian Kunal Kamra, who criticized the company’s lack of effective service and shared images of numerous scooters at an Ola service center. In a combative response, Aggarwal challenged Kamra to “come and help us out” or “sit quiet,” even calling him a “failed” comedian. Recently, Kamra reposted customer claims alleging that Ola had employed bouncers at its customer service centers.
Sources By Agencies