Authorities in Delhi have banned US-based taxi firm Uber from operating in the Indian capital after one of its drivers was accused of raping a passenger.
Shiv Kumar Yadav, 32, is expected to be charged today with raping the finance company employee on Friday night. He was hired to ferry her home from a dinner engagement.
There was outrage locally after it was alleged that the driver, who appeared in court briefly to be remanded in custody on Monday, was arrested for a sexual assault three years ago.
Indian police said they were considering legal action against the online taxi service for failing to run effective background checks. A manager of the firm has been questioned.
The Delhi government on Monday banned “all activities” by Uber taxi company and the state transport department also blacklisted the international cab booking company from providing any transport service in the national capital in future, an official statement said.
The government said in response to “the unfortunate and heinous crime”, it had cancelled the taxi’s permit and registration certificate as well as the driver’s license.
Officials in Delhi accused the firm of misleading clients and not being properly licensed for the services it was offering.
“Keeping in view the violation [and the] horrific crime [allegedly] committed by the driver, the transport department has banned all activities related to providing any transport service by Uber with immediate effect,†a statement from local transport authorities said.
The company, recently valued at $40bn (£26bn) , has said there were no defined rules in India on background checks for commercial transport licences and it was working with the government to address the issue.
“What happened over the weekend in New Delhi is horrific,†Travis Kalanick, Uber’s chief executive officer and founder, said on Sunday.
“We will do everything, I repeat, everything to help bring this perpetrator to justice.â€Â
Kalanick pledged the firm would “work with the government to establish clear background checks currently absent in their commercial transportation licensing programmesâ€Â.
The ban is believed to be temporary, and its exact implications are unclear.
The complete message by the CEO on Uber’s blog:
“What happened over the weekend in New Delhi is horrific. Our entire team’s hearts go out to the victim of this despicable crime. We will do everything, I repeat, everything to help bring this perpetrator to justice and to support the victim and her family in her recovery.
We will work with the government to establish clear background checks currently absent in their commercial transportation licensing programs. We will also partner closely with the groups who are leading the way on women’s safety here in New Delhi and around the country and invest in technology advances to help make New Delhi a safer city for women.”
In another statement posted on the blog, the company said:
“This is an abhorrent crime. Our thoughts remain with the victim who has shown tremendous courage under the circumstances.
Upon being notified of this incident, our team immediately provided the local authorities with all relevant details, including:
- driver (name, age, photo, complete driver’s license details, bank verified address)
– vehicle (license, registration, insurance, state-issued driver permit)
– trip details (trip data, route, pick-up & drop-off location)
Safety is our #1 priority and in India, Uber exclusively partners with registered for-hire drivers who have undergone the commercial licensing process, hold government issued IDs, state-issued permits, and carry full commercial insurance. Uber also has a GPS trace and record of all trips that occur on the platform – information that has been shared with the authorities. We will continue to cooperate fully with law enforcement officials in their investigation to bring this crime to justice.
We will also work with the community, with government and the technology industry to find more ways to promote safety in transportation, particularly for women – both here in Delhi and throughout India.”
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Photograph: Chandan Khanna/AFP/Getty Images
