The Delhi High Court (HC) on Wednesday sought responses from Uber, Rapido and Ola on a public interest litigation (PIL) seeking stricter safety measures for women using app-based cabs, bike taxis and other ride-hailing services across the national capital region (NCR).

A division bench of the HC, comprising Chief Justice Devendra Kumar Upadhyaya and Justice Tejas Karia issued notices to the aforementioned platforms, along with the Union government and the Delhi government. The case will next be heard on December 16, as per the court proceedings.

Court seeks accountability from private operators

The bench said the notices were being issued with the intention to ensure that private operators of taxi applications are held accountable for the safety of passengers using their services.

One Aditya Sehgal filed the PIL, seeking a comprehensive overhaul of the safety mechanisms followed by app-based transport companies. Appearing on behalf of the petitioner, the counsel submitted before the HC that more than two lakh cabs operate across Delhi-NCR and alleged that the verification of the drivers and their monitoring are inadequate, particularly during the late night hours.

The petition demanded tighter verification mechanisms to ensure that the driver and vehicle assigned to a passenger correspond exactly with the details displayed on the ride-hailing application.

Moreover, it sought a provision allowing passengers to cancel a ride without facing penalties if an unauthorised driver or vehicle arrives to pick them up. The plea proposed that such incidents should also be kept on-record as safety-related incidents.

24-hour SOS system, real-time tracking sought

The petition also called for the establishment of a 24-hour command-and-control system to respond to SOS alerts from passengers. It demanded that in emergency cases, police and other authorised responders should have access to essential booking information, including the driver’s identity, vehicle registration details and the passenger’s real-time location, while ensuring that adequate privacy safeguards are in place.

The petitioner has also sought technology-driven alerts whenever a vehicle makes a significant deviation from its designation route. Such a system, as argued by the plea, could help identify potentially risky situations at an early stage.

Other measures proposed in the PIL include regular gender-sensitivity training for drivers and heightened surveillance around locations identified as vulnerable to crimes against women.

Calls raised for verified female drivers

The PIL, towards the end, suggested creating a pool of verified female drivers. Where such drivers are available, women travelling alone could also be provided with an option to request or be assigned a female driver.

The case comes amid the growing dependency on app-based mobility services for daily urban commute.