Uber incident : Let's have a centralised, coordinated tracking system

There has been some overreaction to the ban on Uber cab service, which was imposed following last Friday’s incident of rape of a woman by a driver hired by the company.

Sandeep Bansal, (one of our contributors) wrote on Facebook, “Uber has been banned. Was DTC banned after Dec 16?”

Sanjeev Sabhlok, Head of Freedom Team of India wrote in the same social networking site, “Funny guys. Never heard of it. Then banned it.” He posted this with link to a portal that ran a report with the headline, “Delhi’s government just found out what Uber is—then banned it.”

Right-leaning activist Madhu Kishwer tweeted, “Help the police to build capacity to effectively combat crimes including monitor taxis. Why ban Uber when others don’t do better at compliance?”

For sure, a better system must be developed to ensure women’s safety. But systems do not take shape overnight. Should potential victims be left in the lurch till then?

First, Uber’s standard operating procedure is akin to compromising with the safety of passengers. The company misguides the people and authority even in the US where it claims to have a “three-step screening process”, wherein a driver’s county, federal and multi-state records are checked. But an Uber driver in New York recently described the process to a reporter thus:

“Basically, there’s no hiring process or anything like that. You just go there, and they give you a class in which they tell you something about Uber, and basic stuff about what to do with the customer. There is no training. They basically hire people from the gutter. They don’t care. They just need bodies. They need somebody who can get their own cars, fit the best possible GPS, and start driving.”

In 2013, an Uber driver in Washington DC was arrested for allegedly raping a 20-year-old passenger, though he wasn’t charged. And more recently, in April this year, an Uber driver in Chicago was charged for fondling a customer.

In India, even as Uber started operating in 11 cities including Mumbai, Kolkata, Delhi and Bangalore, the company had to bear with legal wrangling with the Reserve Bank of India in order to continue operating until it tied up with Paytm, a mobile wallet, to comply with the central bank’s guidelines on credit card payment, which mandates a two-step verification.

The issue here is not of how Uber manages payments but how it hires its drivers. “All you need is a car to attach yourself with the cab company. And your papers are submitted and you are handed over all the necessary equipment, including the iPhone. But in most cases, the drivers are not the owners. And once a driver is changed, the owner doesn’t inform the company. Even if the company finds out, there is no elaborate verification process. The man is asked to join work immediately. It’s all about the commission,” a driver told The Indian Express.

He adds, “There are drivers who turn off the apps and their GPS and take longer routes so as to get extra money”. He is quick to cover up. “But I don’t do this. A little less money won’t make a difference. At least your conscience will permit you to get a good night’s sleep.”

Second, don’t ask why other taxi services are not banned, or why even Uber continues to run in other cities. Does Indian federalism mean we citizens are at mutually differing governments’ mercy? Well, the state is trying to overcome the problem with a plea. The Home Ministry has advised all states and union territories to ban all unregistered, internet-based cab booking services.

That does not mean radio taxi services. The transport department has, in a notice, said that only six private radio taxi services registered under the Economy Radio Taxi Scheme will be allowed to operate in Delhi. The services allowed include Easy Cabs, Mega Cabs, Meru, Chanson, Yo Cabs and Air Cabs.

Third, the company has been offered a hearing; the ban on it is not irrevocable. The Delhi Commission for Women has summoned the chief executive officer of Uber  while the company is also going to receive a suo motu notice from the National Commission for Women. If it can assure the Transport and Home Ministries, Delhi Police and the two Commissions for Women that its SOP will incorporate the government’s concerns, its licence to operate in Delhi may be renewed.

Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari, who opposed the ban proposed by Rajnath Singh in Parliament, has got the concept right. “System of giving driver’s license is faulty; new digitized system will be designed where everyone’s track record can be viewed,” the minister said further, adding, “If there are improvements needed in the system they should be looked at.”

But the systemic changes needed as solutions could be tricky. The mobile application meant to track the driver must be factory-fitted to prevent the driver from deactivating it. But that means a deal with the cellphone manufacturer. Now, why will the manufacturer be burdening himself with the application of one cab service and not the others? After how many taxi operators does Apple, Samsung, HTC, Lenovo, etc draw the line? Is it business-wise ethical to impose such regulations on the private sector?

The way out could be global positioning systems factory-fitted into cars. This cannot, however, protect a potential victim if she is dragged away from the vehicle. Hence, the requirements are two: Track both the cab and its driver, and make the company call the driver every 15 minutes (say). If the phone does not respond, alarm bells must ring.

Let the registered companies also be bound to enter a centralised computing system monitored by the traffic police. The drivers must be part of this centralised system, too, which will prevent one from working for two or more operators. The combination of driver and taxi’s GPS systems will ensure that he is not away from the vehicle.

The application that is meant for women’s distress calls faces the problem of connectivity, as many users have complained. After witnessing tremendous growth in cell concentration in the 1990s, the progress has slowed in the last decade. The mobile service providers are  also either  bad, some worse, others unreliable or works in fits and starts… This sector sees hardly any intervention by the government except TRAI regulations; so one wonders what the companies’ alibi for substandard performance is.

Forcing the mobile service operators to have more penetration will, of course, be a good force from a pro-business point of view. It will help the trade while ensuring connectivity as well as safety of their customers. India is a part of Asia after all, and capitalism in this continent, considering examples of China and Singapore, works under government direction and duress.