Uber has just been stripped off its license in London, with the authorities claiming that it had demonstrated “a lack of corporate responsibility in relation to a number of issues which have potential public safety and security implications.” This move will potentially affect 40,000 drivers, and comes as a huge blow to the cab application. Indeed, app-based taxi aggregators have come under fire for security issues relating to it. Closer home in India, a few rape cases associated with taxi-on-demand services, and instances of security issues pepper the news all the time. We ask social thinkers and business experts if it’s time that app-based taxi aggregators take security a little more seriously.
‘quality of services need to be high’
Sonali Khan, director, Dasra (A foundation for social change)
I think when something goes wrong, people start waking up to issues. Especially in India, we saw how there was a relentless demand for aggregators to step up on their safety norms by getting the police verification of the drivers when the criminal cases took place. Now, I believe the challenges will still be there if the authorities are not strict about implementation. We need better public transport. Be it hotels or cabs, aggregation is the future and yes, it has provided many jobs. But what is more essential is that the quality and safety quotient of these services be high. For that to happen, there have to be rules in place and they have to be strictly implemented. It’s more prudent than shutting down services.
‘london not the only city to ban uber’
AAKAR PATEL, Amnesty India’s Executive Director and columnist
Firstly, London isn’t the only city to have banned Uber. Germany and Rome also don’t allow Uber to function. London is actually a really well-planned city; their transportation is really fluid. Their in-house taxi system — the black cabs — are a really organised union. A cabbie in London is required to know every nook and cranny of the city — they have been functional way before the GPS. And then Uber entered the market, they were a cheaper and faster method that relied on GPS.
When talking about making security an urgent, serious issue for taxi services, it needs to be made necessary for the black and yellow taxis in Mumbai and the yellow taxis in Kolkata too. When one sits in kaali-peeli or an auto, you don’t know who the driver is. At least when you are in an Uber or Ola, the credentials of the driver are with the agency. So the culprit can be caught.
‘cab aggregators should install multiple sos buttons inside cabs to raise alarm’
Aswin Vayiravan, CEO of Deducely and a technology enthusiast
Most of the cab aggregators have taken some steps like installing an SOS feature in their mobile apps, that would let the passenger’s friends and family know that they are under threat. However, this is not sufficient. These cab aggregators have deep pockets and they should install multiple SOS buttons inside their cabs that would raise an alarm to draw attention towards the cab, send the cab’s location to the authorities and bring the vehicle to stop in one minute. Passengers also need to do their bit in protecting their own safety, especially during the nights and while taking a cab alone.
It is better to stay on the phone with a trusted friend or simply pretend to stay on the phone with someone — one must always share the cab details with someone before boarding it. Rapists come from all places and backgrounds... they are in schools, places of religion, offices, anywhere.. it is not fair to single out all cab drivers as rapists because of a few bad apples. Rape is a problem that plagues our society at large and banning these cabs isn’t the right solution to this crisis.
‘they need to improve options in terms of how people can interact with them’
Prithvi Shiv, an entrepreneur and social media consultant
I definitely believe that this should serve as a wake-up call to app-based aggregators like Ola and Uber in India. The biggest issue I have is their absolute lack of means to redress customer issues. Apart from leaving behind low ratings for drivers who overstep their boundaries, and writing them emails, there’s precious little one can do in terms of making them aware of serious shortcomings of misbehaving drivers.
There’s some token measure in terms of SOS features that they’ve introduced as safety features, but sometimes a driver needn’t be overtly aggressive for women riding alone to feel uncomfortable about their safety. I know many of my friends who no longer avail one or the other’s services because of this, since there’s no option for them to actually vent their misgivings about such sentiments.They need to greatly improve their options in terms of how people can interact with them about anything that’s going to make their customers uncomfortable. Additionally their venting processes seem to have allowed these kind of drivers to get through, which indicates that this needs to be greatly improved. I do like the convenience they provide but this is something they need to seriously work on.
‘apps must find ways to make the experience safer and better for the riders’
krishna kumar, Co-founder and CEO, GreenPepper Consulting India Pvt Ltd
Having used Uber for so long, it has been the safest and affordable option, next to using our own vehicles. The risks of public transportation and its inconvenience in Indian cities have made Uber/Ola an instant hit, even for those who own their own cars. You get to know driver profile, what his ratings are and his vehicle model and number, which is verified and tracked by the company, and the details can be shared with your close ones if needed. And even after the trip, we are able to contact the driver if we left something behind. We can give anonymous feedback about the ride experience and rapid response teams are there to deal with urgent issues.
You can also keep your personal information private and the drivers cannot contact you directly. And the GPS tracks each ride to ensure the drivers are taking the best route every time. Banning Uber is like banning the Internet for people, in order to get them to use libraries. When each city has millions of Uber riders and thousands of drivers, it is natural that untoward incidents might occur, but it all can be tracked and the offenders immediately found and punished. I remember standing in long taxi queues in front of airports and railways stations before Uber, and paying exorbitantly. Security concerns about apps, and surrounding rape news is like victimising a brand for no fault of theirs. Uber must find ways to make the experience safer and better for the riders and at the same time make the drivers have a decent life. It can be by complying with laws and regulations of each country and using technology to verify drivers stringently.
