BENGALURU:Starting next month, cab services offered by taxi aggregator Ola will have a new safety system in place which the company says is its most intensive effort yet to make cab rides safer for its customers. Ride safety has always been an issue in the city as several complaints have surfaced in the past blaming drivers and the cab company for being insensitive, rude or downright dangerous to use.
The project, called ‘Guardian’, was announced by Ola on Tuesday and will be launched as a pilot in Bengaluru, Mumbai and Pune in the next few days. All ongoing trips will be tracked by analysing ride parameters including route deviations, unexpected stops and other indicators. These will then be matched with factors like the time of day the trip is taking place and others and safety triggers will be activated if the ride parameters are unusual. The issue will then be analysed by a Safety Response Team who will also connect with the customer to assess risk, if required, the company said in a statement.
Drivers getting into arguments with customers and stopping the trip in dark locations are the most-often heard complaints for taxi aggregators. Guardian will have data about dark spots and unsafe routes.