To combat crimes, Uber tells users how to be proactive
In wake of rising crime incidents, Uber has asked its customers to stay alert and follow some precautionary measures. The app-based transportation company asked customers to not only check the vehicle numbers but match the face of the driver tasked with picking them up, with the one behind the wheels. Customers being proactive can help us a lot, said Uber officials.
"Normally the riders do not check whether the driver mentioned on the app is same as the one who has come to pick up. In such cases, the rider can complain about our platform and we shall take an action," said an Uber official.
Uber claims to have changed the SOS feature in the app from push button to slide. The earlier version was pressed by customers, knowingly or unknowingly, making it difficult for Uber to take action against genuine cases. Since many people opt for the pool services, Uber said it allows sharing of details of the passengers with the driver and other riders sharing the cab.
Uber says not every driver is its employee, some are partners too. But past incidents showed drivers can't be trusted with security, completely. In 2018, two separate incidents (from Mumbai and Delhi) were reported when the drivers masturbated in front of the passengers. In March this year, a driver tried kidnapping a woman from Haryana. There have been several such instances in the past.
Recently, a 28-year-old woman was stripped by an Ola driver as she boarded a cab for Kempegowda International Airport (KIA) on June 1. Upon arrest, the driver V Arun confessed and said, "I wanted to click some pictures of her by removing her T-shirt. I threatened her saying that if she raised an alarm, I'd call my friends and get her gang-raped."
