Cadge-a-lift app raises safety fears warns Rape Crisis Centre
THE Dublin Rape Crisis Centre has raised safety concerns about an app that essentially allows anyone with a car to operate as a taxi.
WunderCar, which launched in Dublin on Thursday, connects its users with drivers in their area who are willing to offer a lift.
It works in a similar way to popular taxi app Hailo by allowing customers to order a car to their location with the touch of a button.
The main difference is that WunderCar’s drivers are ordinary people - not licensed taxi drivers – and paying for the trip is optional.
Passengers can pay their driver with a ‘tip’ and rate the experience at the end of the journey.
The fact that the drivers do not hold a taxi licence and are not Garda vetted is a cause for concern for Ellen O’Malley-Dunlop, head of the Dublin Rape Crisis Centre.
Allowing unvetted drivers to offer lifts ‘leaves the system open to abuse’ she said.
‘Even one attack is one too many. We have had experiences in the past with people pretending to be taxi drivers and taking advantage of people who were in inebriated conditions.
‘The most important thing is that people feel safe and you don’t want anyone to find themselves in a dangerous situation,’ she said.
WunderCar argues it is a ‘mobility service’ with a focus on community and meeting new people, rather than a taxi service.
A WunderCar spokesman insisted the service was completely safe and said it carries out ‘online background checks’ before allowing someone to be a driver.
The app has also drawn criticism from the National Transport Authority, which represents taxi drivers. It has written what it called a ‘strongly worded letter’ to WunderCar, outlining the potential fines (up to €50,000) for operating without a licence.