EDITORIAL: Due diligence thrown to wind

In a shocking incident reported from Bengaluru, a 30-year-old woman who was allegedly molested by the rider of a bike taxi, jumped off the moving two-wheeler to escape him. The episode took place near Yelahanka after the survivor had booked a ride using a bike taxi aggregator to travel to Indiranagar. Fortunately, the woman escaped unhurt, while the accused, hailing from Hyderabad was taken into judicial custody. The rider of the bike was in an inebriated condition and investigations revealed that he had prior criminal antecedents, a fact that was not picked by the aggregator while hiring him.

Sadly, this is not the first instance of aggregators failing at their primary duties of due diligence, while onboarding personnel. Last November, cops in Bengaluru arrested three men, including one attached to a bike taxi aggregator, on charges of sexually assaulting a pillion rider. Closer home, in September last year, a student of journalism had spoken about her ordeal of being molested on OMR by the driver of an autorickshaw that she had hailed using an aggregator. Subsequently, an FIR was registered and the driver was arrested, but not before the survivor faced many hassles in registering a police complaint, or receiving timely help. A similar incident transpired in Goa as well in August where a native of Chennai was groped by a taxi driver en route to her resort from the airport.

At the heart of the problem lies the unregulated manner in which enterprises associated with the gig economy have chosen to conduct their head hunting operations, throwing caution to the wind, and widening their employee base without the necessary checks and balances, or even safety audits. A few metrics might help put this into context. There are as many as 80 lakh people associated with the gig industry that was built on the foundation of the smartphone blitzkrieg. When you consider the massive volume of people employed in the industry, and how it holds an instant appeal for millions of migrant workers, a majority of whom fall under the ambit of unskilled labour, it is almost anyone’s guess as to how deeply employers might be willing to invest in essential processes such as training, soft skills, background checks, police verification and other activities.

The gig economy has now transformed into an ecosystem where delivery and mobility personnel are rendered faceless, rushing through their days like automatons. Agents associated with such aggregators have also learned to game the system. For instance, taxi or auto drivers associated with an aggregator often hand over their vehicles to friends, acquaintances or relatives who take over the driving duties from the original associate. In such cases, passengers cannot be assured about travelling with a driver who has their best interests in mind.

A few non-negotiables need to be highlighted. Aggregators are undoubtedly making a killing, riding on the backs of their drivers and executives. However, while they are at it, the least they can do is liaise with the law enforcement agencies in the cities that they operate in, and put forth protocols for frequent assessments of agents associated with them. Even if additional measures like installing security cameras/emergency switches in automobiles are necessary, it must be borne by the drivers keen on associating with a platform. Registering oneself with the nearby police station should also be made mandatory for all such employees and defaults need to be dealt with strictly.