BENGALURU: Two recent instances of women being sexually assaulted by Ola drivers in Bengaluru and Mumbai have yet again brought the focus on the lax safety mechanisms in place when it comes to hiring a cab, especially late in the night.
In the absence of adequate BMTC buses and Metro services, commuters, especially women working late, are forced to rely on cabs for the commute. While Metro services run till 11 pm, BMTC operates only a few schedules after 10pm.
K Swathy, a regular commuter in Indiranagar, said, “Most areas in the city don’t have regular buses after 10pm and the Metro’s closing time too is early. Since BMTC and BMRCL do not operate enough night services, we don’t have any other alternative but to take cabs. I don’t take shared cab services during the night because it is unsafe.”
Last year, the state government extended the business hours of clubs, star hotels, eateries and bars from 11pm to 1am on weekends. However, the extension of nightlife in the city has not made any impact on public transport.
K Radhakrishna Holla, president of Bangalore Tourist Taxi Owners Association, alleged that app-based services such as Ola are flouting rules.
“Repeated incidents of sexual assaults on women passengers by drivers registered with app-based aggregators, including Ola, highlights the need for a better safety mechanism. Unfortunately, the transport department is turning a blind eye to these violations,” he said.
While transport department officials have promised to revoke licences of such drivers, experts say thrust on proactive rather than reactive steps should be encouraged.
H G Kumar, Additional Transport Commissioner, said, “We will cancel the licence of the Ola driver who was involved in the incident after we get the police report.” He said the transport department had formed the Karnataka on-demand Transportation Technology Aggregators Rules but this is still pending before the High Court.
Sources say cab aggregators such as Ola, Uber and UTOO have received licenses under on-demand Transportation Technology Aggregator Rules. Uber, Ola and UTOO have so far presented only 100 cabs each to the Regional Transport Office for verification. However, Uber and Ola are estimated to operate nearly 50,000 cars in the city.
According to the on-demand Transportation Technology Aggregator Rules, aggregators should install GPS and panic buttons in all cabs. However, most cabs plying in the city don’t have physical panic buttons. However, app-based cab aggregrators like Uber and Ola have an SOS button on their respective apps that will alert the police in case of an emergency.
on-demand Transportation Technology Aggregator Rules
Cab aggregators should install GPS and panic buttons in all cabs
There
should be taxi sign on top of the cars
There
should be a dedi-cated call centre
Drivers should be residents of Karnataka for at least two years
Drivers should not work more than eight hours a day
Safety measures
Use SOS button to call for help.
If case of no internet connection, call 100 in case of an emergency
If possible, don’t share a cab at night
Keep windows open
Avoid taking a cab or getting dropped in dimly-lit places
Avoid travelling with too much cash and jewellery
Check Google maps and make sure driver is going the right way
Share vehicle details, including driver’s name and number with family or friends