‘Train cab drivers to deal with women customers’

HYDERABAD: Despite repeated tripartite meetings between the cab aggregators, drivers, and police, the city has failed to make cab rides safe for its women. For 28-year-old Lakshmi Viswanathan cab-rides turned into a bitter experience, not once but twice, with the drivers of the Uber cab service on both occasions. She encountered misbehaviour and was abused by the drivers in both incidents.

In return, the Uber management replied to Lakshmi by tendering an apology and returning fare charges promising that they would look into the issues. But washed their hands off instead.“My driver’s behaviour made me feel unsafe. I have hired an Uber cab twice on December 30 and January 21 in the city. In both incidents, the drivers started misbehaving and abusing me. In both incidents, the Uber management just tendered an apology and returned my fare charges however no action was initiated on drivers,” Viswanathan said.

“Passenger safety is very important to us. While we cannot get into specifics due to our privacy policy, please know we take issues like this very seriously and appropriate action has been taken,”  incident response team member of Uber Lahari said.

This is not just a one-off case, there are several complaints filed with not just Uber but other cab aggregators about the increase incidences of abuses. The Hyderabad police and SHE teams said they have issued all kinds of cab transport operators and managements to provide proper training to drivers to deal with passengers especially women.

The Hyderabad SHE team Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) C Narmada said, “In a recent meeting, with cab aggregators and other transportation companies we asked the managements to provide training to drivers to handle women passengers and form ICCs.”