There were times when only a kaali-peeli taxi ruled Mumbai. But, now the picture is different. Along with kaali-peeli taxis, one can see OLA and Uber cabs running in the city. But, as every coin has two sides, these cabs, which save our time, have a lot of issues when it comes to the safety of passengers. Along with molestation cases, many FIRs have been launched against the drivers for negligent driving.
We have a list of cases which doesn't really reflect well on OLA and Uber in 2017.
On September 29, a victim boarded an Uber for Cumbala Hill from Andheri. The Uber driver started interacting with the passenger by asking her personal questions. When they crossed Banda-Worli Sea-link, he stopped his cab, got down from the driver’s seat and came back in the passenger seat. Before the victim could realise, he started touching her inappropriately and tried coming close to her. Scandalised, she got down from the cab and went to Bandra police station to register a FIR against the driver.
In the month of April, Natasha Agrawal met with a car accident when she was travelling in an Uber. When her cab was on the way to Mahalaxmi, the driver rammed the cab on the divider and she suffered multiple fractures and lost several teeth as well. It’s been five months, Natasha is still recuperating. The shocking part is, the driver Somnath Sawant is said to be threatening Natasha’s father to withdraw their complaint and police have taken no action against the reckless driver.
On August 17, a tourist boarded an Uber for Pali Hill from Versova. Shehbaj Abdul Sattar Shekhani (36) who was driving the cab stopped the vehicle in an isolated spot and came to the backseat and tried molesting her. Scared, she started shouting for help. The driver immediately came to the driver's seat and started speeding. Once again, he stopped his cab near Gajdharbandh and came to the passenger's seat at the back of the cab and tried molesting her. When she started shouting for help, he pushed her from the cab and drove off. The police arrested him within hours of the complaint.
On August 8, a victim booked an OLA share for Lower Parel from Marol. As there were three passengers already sitting in the cab, she sat next to the driver. The other three passengers got down at Dadar. When the cab reached Prabhadevi, driver Arun Kumar Tiwari (38) started molesting her. The woman got down in the middle and then filed a police complaint after which he was arrested under section 354 (a) of IPC.
A Navi Mumbai resident booked a cab for South Mumbai but the driver came late and when she asked a reason for the same, he answered her arrogantly. This did not stop here when she told him to drive fast, the driver asked her to get down. When she complained about the driver, the company instead of taking action against the driver, blocked her account.
In September 2017, a passenger booked a cab for Mumbai Darshan from Naigaon. When the cab reached Haji Ali, the driver dozed off and the cab hit a divider and landed on the tetrapods. Fortunately, there was no casualty but police registered a complaint against the driver.
Actor Mallika Dua shared her bad experience with Uber when she asked the driver to decrease the AC temperature, the driver asked her to get down. When questioned the driver about it, the driver abused her.
There are many other cases which question the company policies and if OLA and Uber are actually doing a background check of their drivers. Also, what are the police doing about the passengers' safety while commuting?
These issues need to be addressed.
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