Uber is once again offering rides in New Delhi after it was banned over an alleged sexual assault by one if its drivers. To help get reinstated, it applied for a taxi service license, the first time the company's taken such a step since it began operations, according to India's Economic Times . Uber has always stressed that it's "not a transportation provider," but merely a service to connect passengers and independent drivers. However, the rape claim revealed that Uber never performed background checks on New Delhi drivers, something it now does routinely in the US.
New Delhi cab drivers have been protesting that Uber competes unfairly by avoiding such checks and other costly regulations. The city subsequently banned all app-based "ride-hailing" firms until they apply for the correct permits and prove they have at least 200 cars, a full-time call center and passenger panic buttons. Uber said that so far it's the only such service to be re-verified after it met those requirements and also implemented driver background and vehicle safety checks. The beleaguered SF-based firm is now operating again in India's capital, but reportedly won't be allowed to start full operations until the application process is completed.
[Image credit: Tengku Bahar/AFP/Getty Images]
Filed under: Transportation
Via: The Verge
Source: Uber
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