Earlier this month, Uber came under fire after a woman in India was reportedly raped by an Uber driver. The incident sparked protests, and the Delhi local government banned all Uber services as well as other unlicensed taxi app services—Uber itself suspended its own operations in the city while reviewing its operations. But now they've rolled out some additional safety measures on top of their usual background checks and government records.
All Uber drivers will undergo another, more thorough background checks, ensuring "authentic and valid police verification." Uber will be hiring local "safety experts" to vet the drivers and their paperwork and keep and eye out for fraudulent hires, while coming up with more effective ways to screen drivers. TechCrunch reports:
In addition to more advanced driver screening, Uber also says it is rolling out a local incident response team to resolve critical issues there. It is also adding a ShareMyETA button to the app, rolling it out first in India to allow passengers to send trip details to loved ones.
The Uber ban is still in place and Delhi government has yet to announce if it will actually allow Uber services to resume in the city, though the Delhi Transportation Department will be holding a hearing on Monday regarding the matter.
As you probably already know, Uber is facing plenty of criticism regarding their hiring practices around the world. Though the new safety measures will roll out in India first, Uber has promised to commit more time and money to the customer safety aspect of their service. And when they're getting away with charging $362 for a 20-minute ride, they probably won't have much of a problem funding the new regulations.
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