Can’t blame cab firms for drivers’ misdeeds: Delhi HC

Emphasising that app-based taxi services were a “boon for consumers”, the Delhi high court suggested that the Delhi government review its ban on app-based taxi aggregators such as Uber and Ola.

The bench further observed that the Delhi government had “not been able to keep up with the technology” and had failed to create appropriate rules for web-based taxi services, and suggested that the government could “give a comprehensive hearing” to the licence applications filed by various app-based service providers. You can’t put burden on him (OLA) if AIP was given to a criminal. I am very clear about it. Your rivals run on CNG, so how are you going to run on diesel? “Run on CNG or not at all”, said the court.

The court will next hear the matter on 27 July. It added that the added benefits of services like Global Positioning System for tracking purposes, reduction in the number of private vehicles faster and their employment potential could not be disregarded.

The court also said that complete ban was not suitable and the companies should be given another chance.

The latest order comes a week after the court had set aside Delhi government’s ban on Uber.

The licence application of cab services was cancelled for not complying with the provisions of the Radio Taxi Scheme. A 27-year-old woman in Delhi was allegedly raped by a driver of the cab service when he was dropping her home in December 2014.

The modified scheme imposes various mandatory requirements including having prefixed calibrated meters, a Global Positioning System device and running on CNG, on the companies for grant of licence.