New Delhi: The Delhi government has banned all operations by private cab service Uber in the city following the alleged rape incident with immediate effect. The Transport Department has also blacklisted the company from providing any transport service in the NCT of Delhi in future.
Meanwhile, the Uber cab driver who allegedly raped a woman on Friday was produced in court on Monday. A team from Uber is also being questioned by the Delhi Police in connection with the case.
According to probe details, the Uber cab driver Shiv Kumar Yadav was arrested in 2011 as well on the charges of sexual assault. He had spent seven months in Tihar jail before being acquitted in the case back then.
The Delhi Police used 12 teams which were dispatched to Mathura to nab the 32-year-old Shiv Kumar Yadav who was located after a 25-minute chase by tracing his cell number.
According to sources in Delhi Police, there are several lapses on Uber's part which probably led to this heinous crime being committed.
Every commercial driver needs to have a commercial badge. However, sources say that Yadav did not have the badge. Uber had not even conducted a background check and verification of the accused driver before recruiting him. It is the responsibility of the cab service provider to get the identity verified through police. The address given by Yadav was not where he used to stay. Even the phone number that he was using was not registered on his name.
There were three drivers who drove the Swift Dzire in which the crime took place. At any given point, Uber didn't know which of the three was driving as there was only one phone with the Uber app. In fact, after the incident, the police had to download the Uber app and order a cab to reach its 3-room office in Gurgaon.
Expressing regret over the incident Uber CEO Travis Kalanick said, "What happened over the weekend in New Delhi is horrific. Our entire team's hearts go out to the victim of this despicable crime. We will do everything, I repeat, everything to help bring this perpetrator to justice and to support the victim and her family in her recovery.
We will work with the government to establish clear background checks currently absent in their commercial transportation licensing programs. We will also partner closely with the groups who are leading the way on women's safety here in New Delhi and around the country and invest in technology advances to help make New Delhi a safer city for women," he said.
Full text of the press release by the Transport Department:
Condemning the unfortunate and heinous crime committed by the driver of an All India Tourist Permit holder of a taxi bearing registration mark of DL1YD 7910; the Transport Department has cancelled the said permit of the taxi, Registration Certificate of the said taxi and Driving License of the said driver. The Permit was granted on 28th May, 2014 after due verification of character and antecedents of the permit holder.
The said All India Tourist Permit taxi was provided by M/s. Uber on the request of the commuter through the Uber Web application for a local journey within Delhi which was in contravention of the MV Act, 1988 and rules framed there under. M/s Uber also misled the commuter about the nature of the taxi service offered by the "Uber App".
Keeping in view the above violation and the horrific crime committed by the driver, the Transport Department has banned all activities relating to providing any transport service by the www.Uber.com with immediate effect. The Transport Department has also blacklisted the company from providing any transport service in the NCT of Delhi in future.
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