'Not comfortable using app-based services at night'

A frequent user of cabs, Richa Chaudhary, 30, felt “slightly uncomfortable” while taking a cab at night last month. But then there was hardly any choice.

“I use a cab at least twice a week. I boarded a cab from Khan Market to Model Town last month around 10 pm. I realised the driver was drunk and kept praying that I reach safely. I felt uncomfortable but did not have any other option. I could not have changed the cab at that time,” says the fashion designer.

But travelling in cabs like Ola and Uber also means women have to be constantly on guard.

“I always make it a point to click images of the number plates. I always make it a point to inform a friend of the car number or talk on the phone so that the driver gets the impression that my family members are alert that I have boarded a cab,” says Chaudhary.

With cases of molestation by cab drivers being reported widely, users are sceptical of the background checks being conducted by the app-based companies. Globally, Uber has run into trouble with the regulators claiming that the company has violated laws. However, the company claims it is only a cab aggregator and does not own any vehicles.

According to media reports, prosecutors in San Francisco have sued Uber over its background check policies. In Spain and Thailand, Uber was asked to stop its services after regulators found they were in violation of the transit law. The company has also faced charges in Singapore, Vietnam and Indonesia, say reports.

Regulators across the world have often said such companies give commuters a “false sense of security”, according to media reports.

In several cases, women do not pursue their complaints as they think it would hardly make a difference. Companies often do not respond to feedback in which women have listed bad experiences, say commuters.

Anshika Dinker, a law graduate, says the media reports on molestation cases in these cabs play in her mind before she decides on which transport to take.

“I feel sceptical knowing that there are hardly any background checks on the drivers. The media reports have made me more conscious now. I usually prefer to take the Metro which has a reserved women’s compartment,” says Dinker.

What bothers Priyanka Roy, 28, about taking these cabs is not only the lack of a proper screening system for drivers which she “read about in the papers” but also the lack of a monitoring system.

“It is always safe to travel in cabs which can be tracked by the company. This is often missing in cabs aggregators which have cheaper rates. It is otherwise best to take autos which have no centralised lock system and a commuter can jump out in case of an untoward incident,” says Roy.

But women travellers still take to cabs like Ola and Uber which also offer ‘share’ options in which a person can travel with other commuters. The competitive rate of the cab aggregators is the primary reason why most people prefer these to other cabs.

“Unless it is late at night, I am okay travelling in these cabs. News surfacing on several untoward incidents has now made me careful to not avail these cabs late at night,” says Shromona Dasgupta, who works with a multinational company. Reeja Jacob, 27, echoes this. “I do not take these cabs if I am travelling alone at night. I do not mind using these at other times as it is very convenient.”

The route tracker in the app-based cabs is what makes some women feel secure in using vehicles run by the aggregators. Mostly there are no problems, several users say, with ‘courteous’ drivers at the wheel.

“The experiences have been smooth so far. I rely on the GPS to aid me if some driver pretends or actually does not know the way,” says Madhurita Goswami, who works with a national daily.

“I especially use Ola cabs at night and have never had any bad experiences,” says Joyeeta Biswas, 29.

However, most commuters feel there is an immediate need to improve the tracking system in these cabs. Days after the alleged molestation of a Belgian woman, Delhi Commission for Women has asked cab aggregators Uber, Ola, Taxiforsure, Ridz, and Meru for information to see if they comply with Delhi government rules, like fitting GPS tracking devices and panic buttons.