Cab cos pay lip service to safety

Chennai: Serious complaints regarding lack of women’s safety are detrimental to the survival of any business. Cab aggregators are not immune to them either.

A spokesperson from Uber said, “Our drivers/riders undergo a rigorous background check before they begin driving with us. Any driver with a criminal background is not allowed to drive for us. Every complaint is dealt with the utmost importance and penalties may include loss of access to the Uber app. Any driver removed from the platform due to a violation of our code of conduct is not allowed to drive with Uber again.”

While Ola listened to all details about incidents of women’s safety from this reporter, and even took questions in writing, there was no response from the company until this paper went to print. Rapido refused to respond without any specifications.

MV Act prohibits personal vehicles from being used for commerical purposes

The two-wheeler taxis are unidentifiable because there are no markers to identify them as a transport service. Vehicles used for these services are bought for personal use, as evidenced by the fact that they have number plates in white unlike cabs that are in yellow. Personal vehicles should not be used for commercial purposes like public transport; these are against the rules and regulations under the Motor Vehicles Act. Meanwhile, the state transport department officials say that they have requested the government to grant a license to the service with a yellow plate.