My Experience with Harassment During a Ride – A Call for Better Awareness

I’m a 30-year-old man, and I recently had a disturbing experience that I feel compelled to share. A few days ago, I had to leave for a shoot early at 3 a.m. My bike wasn’t working, and my SIM card stopped functioning. I booked a Rapido ride using WiFi, but multiple cancellations delayed me. Finally, a rider accepted, but he asked for ₹250 instead of the ₹175 fare. We agreed on ₹200, and I hopped on. From the start, there were red flags: 🚩 He didn’t ask for my OTP/Pin to start the ride. 🚩 He claimed the back wheel had no air, asking me to sit closer to him. 🚩He repeatedly scratched his back in a way that made me uncomfortable, because he was trying to get a feel of my private part. Despite trying to maintain my distance, he used this “scratching” excuse to intentionally touch me inappropriately. When I confronted him, he dismissed it, but the behavior continued throughout the ride. I felt helpless as my SIM wasn’t working, didn’t want to be stranded in the middle of nowhere and I couldn’t risk missing my work appointment. When we reached the destination, he even demanded an extra ₹50. I used this moment to make him understand since he was in his 20’s and younger to me : “It’s okay to be gay, but the other person also should feel something too, mainly consent is key. You can’t touch someone without their permission, especially as a service provider.” He grabbed the money and fled. This wasn’t my first experience with harassment. Years ago, during a bus trip to Bangalore, I woke up to a man touching me and later found him lying on my crotch dribbling saliva on my pants. These incidents have left me deeply disturbed. My Thoughts: The lack of proper sex education and the taboo around discussing sexuality have created a society where consent is often ignored. Men, repressed and uninformed, act on their urges in predatory ways. If I—a grown man with a beard and scars—don’t feel safe, I can’t imagine what women endure daily. I know many women who were abused as children, which reflects the deep-rooted issues in our society’s moral compass. I myself have driven Rapido rides as a part time job, and have met many respectful captains who are friendly and professional. This is more to do with the skewed moral compass of certain people which causes a bad name for the rest of us and makes it an unsafe environment for a lot of people. I’ve reported the Rapido incident, but this goes beyond just one person. It’s about creating a culture where respect and consent are non-negotiable. What’s sad is when I talk to people I know about this , their immediate reaction is to laugh and let it be , because I’m a grown ass man. I’m a human being first. TL;DR: As a man, I experienced harassment during a late-night Rapido ride and previously on a bus. The lack of sex education and societal repression fuels such behavior, making even men feel unsafe. We need to address consent and morality in our culture to prevent such incidents