Uber buckles and applies for taxi licences for its New Dehli drivers
Uber has applied for a taxi service licence in New Dehli following a crackdown from regulators on online "ride-hailing" firms.
Digital-based transport firms operating without taxi permits were banned in India in December after an Uber driver raped a passenger, however, the service is set to make a return to New Dehli after finally applying for the neccessary licenses.
The firm has also claimed to clean up its act following the attack. Uber drivers now have to undergo police and background checks to ensure the safety of passengers.
Uber released a statement announcing its return: “Yesterday, Uber applied for a license under the Radio Taxi Scheme to reflect our commitment to providing riders with more options for safe and reliable transportation, including the ability to request a Radio Taxi on-demand.
“Meanwhile, we continue to engage with the relevant Delhi authorities to work towards the Kolkata model, set by the Bidhannagar City Police, who have introduced new regulations for on-demand transportation technology aggregators. We believe this is the progressive model that ultimately puts the safety of consumers first.”
It concluded: “Our commitment to make transportation safe in Indian cities has never been more absolute and we won’t rest till the job is done.”
Since the Dehli rape, the firm says it has “worked tirelessly to develop new safety features (including an in-app emergency button) nationwide, establish a dedicated incident response team and re-verify the full credentials of every driver-partner on the Uber platform in Delhi”.
Uber was founded in 2009 and has since accumulated a market value of $40bn.