New Delhi: In a bid to put a full stop to crime against women, Uber Inc has introduced a panic button and tracking features to its taxi hailing app in India.
Uber’s India app now has a “send status” feature to enable passengers to share ride details with their contacts in real time. The app also has an “SOS” button to call the local police directly.
Uber was banned from operating in Delhi after an alleged sexual attack on a woman, with authorities accusing the web-based firm of failing to perform adequate background checks on its drivers.
The December 5 attack raised the issue of women’s safety in Delhi, which has been dubbed India’s “rape capital” after a string of high-profile sex assaults.
The government had earlier asked Uber to furnish all details before it as mentioned in recently introduced “Modified Radio Taxi Scheme (2006)”.
Uber had applied for licence on January 22 to operate app-based taxi booking service through its subsidiary Resource Expert India Pvt Ltd.
While the service remains officially banned in Delhi, Uber resumed operations in January and has since said it has stepped up background checks on all its India drivers.
Uber is also fighting bans in France, Spain and South Korea for alleged violations including using unlicensed drivers.Â