The ride got a bit more smooth for online cabs in Kerala with the high court asking the state government to mull expanding the services to more cities. Hearing a petition by an online cab driver on Tuesday, the HC directed the DGP to ensure protection to online-enlisted drivers. Currently, major app-based taxi services are available only in Kochi and Thiruvananthapuram.
The petitioner had said that the government was not doing enough to ensure their protection. Following this, the court sought an explanation from the DGP.
However, the government told the court that it had taken all steps to ensure the safety of drivers. The online taxi services community had been facing protests from regular taxi and auto drivers.
Medias recently reported two instances of mistreatment of passengers, including women, by conventional taxi drivers.
In one, a woman fashion designer from Kochi was harassed by taxi drivers in the city when she was about to board a Uber cab she had booked. The incident made headlines after she posted a video of it on YouTube.
On another occasion, singer Sayanora faced a similar situation when she was stopped by taxi drivers from taking a Uber cab on the premises of the Ernakulam north station. She also shared her experience on Facebook. The Railway had clarified that there were no curbs on commuters hiring online cabs from their premises.
There had been cases when drivers were manhandled by their non-online counterparts, especially at airports and railway stations. The regular driver unions had been perceiving online cab services as a threat.
The court said the government was duty-bound to ensure a ‘safe environment’ for app-based cab services to operate in Kochi.
