This does not solve anything in my opinion , the problem is larger , more deep-rooted and systematic and banning one company or for that matter 3 or 5 is not going to giving us the safety net that is needed with regard to such events taking place. The government wants to show that steps are being taken , fast – then maybe it has achieved that , but we will keep finding ourselves in this situation time and time again unless there is a solution at the root level to this.
Lets take a step back from Uber for a minute – are taxi’s the only place where such incidents have taken place , no , the entire public transportation system is a seeding ground for such events
1. Taxis’s – yes
2. Auto’s – Yes
3. Bus’s – Yes
4. Metro’s – Yes , enough incidents of molestation one keeps hearing about
So we do away with some taxi companies – we simply to shift to something which is potentially as viable a problem as Uber was , is that a solution? No….. and even a stronger no if I look at some of the other characteristics which we need to live with with regard to the above 4
1. Taxi’s – so we start using the Black and Yellow’s again? Old , dilapidated , unsafe machines – no seatblets , no airbags, god knows about nthe structural integrity , low in technology + such events can happen with these drivers as well
2. Bus’s – we know rapes’ have happened here and by their drivers , plus they are unsafe again from a larger public point of view – for either people inside them or outside them – no real safety measures , complete disregard for traffic rules , in cahoots with the police enough to keep breaking rules again and again.
3. Auto’s – similar story here , there is no safety in either using them as a medium of transport of from the perspective of women + as a breed it about trying to fleece anyone who gets into them.
Given that we might as well just stick with the metro , in cities where it’s not present need to use own cars or better yet lets just stay at home. I fail to see any silver lining or solution in this again – in fact – if anything Uber and many others atleast for the most part gave us comfortable cars , safe cars , well behaved drivers , a complete transparent fare structure so if I was to actually draw up a points table such taxi companies would emerge as the safer “overall” bet , so by doing what the government has done is to really start at possibly the more professional setup’s that we have available today – and that would be fine if it was done in conjunction with efforts for the others as well but it is not…
And what exactly is going to be done with respect to all the drivers who are capable or have committed such crimes in the past - yesterday they were with Meru , today they are with Uber and tomorrow they will be with you in the next taxi you take , or Auto you flag down........... they will simply jump ship and the problem stays
……. Auto’s and Buses are holy land given the lovely relationship they have with cops and the number of politicians that actually own these, let me see someone in the government initiating a complete suspension , and take over of vehicles not following rules here , unlikely.
But I am not blindly going to accept any defense for Uber either , I have seen one too many times that Indian management for such companies does not live upto the guidelines or practices that are being followed internationally , they (the Indian management) are on their own trip and save for behaving themsevles for a few times a year when people from HQ might be coming down they sail their own ship –so I would not be surprised to find more skeletons coming out of the close in the following days
Secondly their Terms and Conditions can be burnt away , it does not matter if one has listed in fine print or in bold that one is not responsible for the behavior of the driver – if Uber was willing to accept the positivist word of mouth , sentiment and consequently piggyback for further popularity on how a lot of their drivers behaved then then reverse applies as well and they need to accept the bad.
I liked the direction that Kiran Bedi was taking on the Newshour debate with Arnab on this issue a a few days ago when she started talking about the need for interdepartmental coordination and possibly creating a hub to control and oversee and align information to be able to tackle such stuff , have better understanding of the data flowing around and consequently insights and knowledge that can be derived from that - Arnab unfortunately cut her 20 seconds in given that for him TRP's come out troubling politicians and not listening to logic for the most part (Logic can be boring) ..
... this is where we need to head to to really be doing something substantial as a solution , look at the coordination and the data available in the US for example with the DMV being such an integral part of the law and enforcement machinery up-to the federal level. Data being shared extensively across departments , better profiling , more checks , more updates and insights....
Want to ban Uber ; fine... do it......... but 3/6/9 months down the line let us not be surprised to find another thread within this community talking of another incident again.
UPDATE
Here we go , exactly what i meant by systems needing to be fixed - Uber banned but the taxi's are still available for hire as i write this
http://www.ndtv.com/article/india/wh...-lateststories