Uber gets around ban on app-based taxis
NEW DELHI: Despite the ban on app-based cab hailing service Uber after a financial analyst was raped by one of its drivers last year, the company on Thursday launched its autorickshaw service.
Delhi government sources that the company might be “cleverly playing” on the grey areas of the ban guidelines.
“Uber is now claiming to be a platform, which is merely connecting the autorickshaw drivers with the riders. Since the ban did not say anything against such operations, they can get away with their new service. In fact, since there is no financial transaction between the drivers and the company, they can operate as any other aggregator application,” said sources from the gover nment. GOVERNMENT SOURCE
The sources said Uber and Ola cabs were still banned from plying on Delhi roads and any operation continued by the app-based service providers was illegal.
“After the rape incident, Uber was blacklisted from services. In court, Uber fought its case saying it were not given a fair opportunity to be heard. However, after a thorough review, their documents were found to have some problems after which they have applied for fresh licence,” sources said.
“We cannot book them if they are operating as aggregators. However action can be taken if these services are found to be flouting the bans,” sources confirmed.
Delhi Traffic Police has already fined over a 1,000 cabs plying under Uber, Ola and Taxi for Sure, while over 100 others were impounded.
The Delhi government’s mobile-based app, which is a ‘know all about your city’ service, had introduced autorickshaw hailing services for users across the city. Though the app was designed by Delhi Integrated Multi-modal Transit System (DIMTS), the entire operating system and data is being managed by the transport department.
Only GPS enabled autorickshaws are allowed to be registered with the app service and the papers of the vehicles should be registered in the name of the driver to avoid cartels.
Over a thousand GPS-based autorickshaws are registered with the government operated application.
In fact, the private web-based cab services that were banned had made fresh licence applications under new names.
While Uber had applied for a fresh licence under the name of Resource Expert India Limited on January 22 this year, Ola had followed suit two days later through an application requesting the grant of a fresh licence for Apra Cabs India Pvt. Limited on January 24. NEW DELHI: The National Green Tribunal’s (NGT) orders to improve Delhi’s air quality may not have much of an impact unless the central and state governments work on an immediate plan to decongest the Capital. Experts estimate that if all orders of the tribunal are implemented in totality, air pollution will come down by only 10%.
Since November last year, the tribunal had issued a series of directions that may not be enough to make Delhi’s air clean and safe for breathing. The reason is the tribunal asked authorities to do what was possible within the ambit of law. It cannot issue directions to decongest Delhi — a major cause for rising air pollution.
“Delhi needs much more drastic initiatives. The NGT orders are a piecemeal approach,” said a scientist with the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), who conducted some studies on the NGT directions. “Unless there is a plan to decongest Delhi’s roads, improving Delhi’s air quality will be difficult,” the scientist said.
A plan to decongest Delhi was discussed in the 1990s when the Supreme Court issued directions to clear the Capital’s air of its soot. It included a plan to shift outside Delhi many of the central government offices -- including ministries -- that didn’t play an effective role in daily business.
The proposal then talked about developing composite ministerial complexes having offices and homes for all its employees to reduce mobility. It talked about moving out wholesale markets such as the fruit and vegetable in Azadpur,