Safety concerns brake cab operators’ ride
Women commuters wary of taking cabs at night hours
By : DC Correspondent
Update: 2015-07-10 08:10 GMT
Vijayawada: Gone are the days when city residents commuted in RTC buses and auto rickshaws. The cab era has started with the entry of mobile app-based cab services, bringing with it better transportation. Mobile app-based cab services are the recent entrants. The service providers believe that the city would yield a high market profit in cab services after Hyderabad.
"They have chosen the city as the second biggest market after Hyderabad and also trying to establish themselves in a big way," said V. Dileep, manager, PVP shopping mall, while talking about lifestyle changes in the city.
However, besides the 24X7 cab services and promotional offers, there has been a threat, especially from women as the booking service agents have failed to address the grievances of the customers. As soon as the incidents that happened in Hyderabad and Delhi got wide attention in all circles, patronage of cab services has taken a hit. Women, in particular, are apprehensive and are opting to stay back instead of travelling at night.
“Women have lost trust in these services. Some of the cab operators don't have a proper office to register a complaint,” said Pavani, a student of KL University. According to RTO Purendra, motor cabs which are operating via mobile-based apps have to follow rules in addition to the regular cabs.
“The cab operator has to apply for a radio cab license in addition to the driving licence and has to enable GPS tracking systems to track the activity of the drivers and route taken by the cab,” said Mr Purendra.
As the app-based cab services are trying to get a prime position in the city's transportation, citizens suggest enabling all safety measures to ensure untoward incidents do not happen again and they enjoy a safe ride.