Authorities in Delhi, India, today issued a ban on Uber. It comes one day after stories emerged of the alleged rape of a female passenger by an Uber driver in the city.
In a statement issued to local media, such as the Hindustan Times, Delhi’s transport department said:
Keeping in view the violation and the horrific crime committed by the driver, the transport department has banned all activities relating to providing any transport service by Uber with immediate effect.
The transport department has also blacklisted the company from providing any transport service in the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi in future.
The “violation” in question is a reference to the fact that the Uber driver, Shiv Kumar Yadav, is a convicted rapist who served jail time in 2011. The implication from Delhi’s government is that the driver’s criminal past would have been unearthed if Uber had used a police database for background checks.
Delhi police said earlier on Monday that the “driver did not undergo the mandatory police verification, and a background check was not conducted by [Uber].”
Earlier in the day, a statement from Uber CEO Travis Kalanick said that Uber “will work with the government to establish clear background checks currently absent in their commercial transportation licensing programs.” That appeared to shift the onus for the tragic oversight back to authorities. Kalanick also expressed sympathy with the victim, a young woman working for a financial services firm in Gurgaon, a satellite town of Delhi. The horrific assault occurred on Friday.
Uber uses third-party services for background checks on its drivers in India. That system involves checking “registered for-hire drivers who have undergone the commercial licensing process, hold government issued IDs, state-issued permits, and carry full commercial insurance.”
Uber operates in 10 Indian cities.
Editing by Malavika Velayanikal
(And yes, we’re serious about ethics and transparency. More information here.)
Stay updated on the go with our mobile app.
Get latest insights with smoother, more personalized experience through TIA mobile app.
