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highlighted the reluctance of cab services to check the police records of drivers. However, when Orissa POST spoke to cab service providers, all unanimously agreed that they conduct detailed police verification of drivers before recruitment
Bhubaneswar, Jan 31: A day after a rape victim in New Delhi sued Uber cab service in the US for failing to do proper police verification of its driver, speculations are high in the city on the preparedness of cab service providers and the authorities in tackling untoward incidents in the future. There has been a rapid proliferation of educational institutions, companies, and offices in the city, and therefore safety of students and young professionals has emerged as a priority.
Although the state government has not yet given permission to run radio cabs and other cabs by travel agencies, many firms are flouting norms rampantly. Talking to Orissa POST, regional transport officer, Lalmohan Sethi said, “The transport department has not yet given licence to any cab service to ply on roads. There are many firms running cab services in the city, which is totally illegal. They have not been given any licence for the same and have not been registered with the state government. If complaints reach us, we will crack down on them anytime.”
The Delhi rape case highlighted the reluctance of cab services to check the police records of drivers. However, when we spoke to cab service providers, all unanimously agreed that they do detailed police verification of drivers before recruitment.
Ola cab service’s communication department in a mail to Orissa POST says, “Over 70 per cent drivers on the Ola platform are themselves entrepreneurs, owning one or more cars. We are extremely concerned about the security of our passengers. We have GPS in all our cabs with a SOS button on Ola app which can act as an emergency button for passengers in danger. We strictly adhere to KYC norms to verify our cabbies. All the drivers go through rigorous training in etiquette and are required to know the route maps in detail as well as other technical aspects.”
Sanjay Manjhi, director of city-based E-cabs said, “The concept of radio cabs is not yet widely prevalent in Bhubaneswar, as the government has not given requite permission. We are serving the people through rental services. But we make sure that we verify a driver’s background. We are also installing the GPS system in our cars to make sure that safety of passengers is not compromised.”
Mahesh Barik, director of Ori cab service said, “Soon after the infamous rape incident in Delhi we have made sure that we scrupulously verify the records of our drivers. Even after police verification we try, from our side, to make sure that the records of the drivers are cross-checked. We are planning to introduce security measures in the cars to ensure safety. However, we give cars on rent to tour parties; we are not in the business of radio cabs. ”
The police, however, have a different take on the issue. Refuting the promises of cab service providers, public relations officer of Commissionerate Police, ACP Bihsnu Mishra says, “Most cab service providers desist from coming forward to verify the credentials of their drivers. They often flout norms and seldom follow rules.”
Meru cab service did not respond to emails sent by this newspaper.
