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Ban on Uber May Benefit Indian Government Before Accusations, Uber Was a Boon for Indian Women
(35 minutes later)
NEW DELHI — There is never a bad time to state a plain fact. Uber is a greater friend of urban women in India than the government ever was. Over the past several months, women have taken to the smartphone app with enthusiasm. They grade the drivers and convey to Uber their compliments — and their complaints about bad manners and body odor.NEW DELHI — There is never a bad time to state a plain fact. Uber is a greater friend of urban women in India than the government ever was. Over the past several months, women have taken to the smartphone app with enthusiasm. They grade the drivers and convey to Uber their compliments — and their complaints about bad manners and body odor.
Many rate the Uber experience higher than sitting in their own chauffeur-driven cars because the relationship between the driver in front and the female employer in back is often filled with the chauffeur’s melancholic stories about the health of his children, which lead to requests for loans and time off from work. And there is the issue of his judgmental gaze at her clothes and ways. Also, as he spends most of his day playing cards with other drivers, he passes on a considerable amount of information about his employer — information that is sometimes tapped by the neighbors.Many rate the Uber experience higher than sitting in their own chauffeur-driven cars because the relationship between the driver in front and the female employer in back is often filled with the chauffeur’s melancholic stories about the health of his children, which lead to requests for loans and time off from work. And there is the issue of his judgmental gaze at her clothes and ways. Also, as he spends most of his day playing cards with other drivers, he passes on a considerable amount of information about his employer — information that is sometimes tapped by the neighbors.
Uber’s drivers, on the other hand, are transient and have no incentive to whine. And, until Friday night, they were considered very safe. An Uber driver told me that they were considered so safe that boyfriends “could drink and dance with” their girlfriends “all night and didn’t have to drop them home — they just put them in Uber.”Uber’s drivers, on the other hand, are transient and have no incentive to whine. And, until Friday night, they were considered very safe. An Uber driver told me that they were considered so safe that boyfriends “could drink and dance with” their girlfriends “all night and didn’t have to drop them home — they just put them in Uber.”
All that changed on Friday night. A young woman in New Delhi has alleged that she was raped by an Uber driver. After her complaint, the police could not figure out how to contact a human from Uber until an officer downloaded the app and used it to hail a car. He asked the driver to take him to Uber’s office. It would be hours before the police got any useful information. The man accused of rape was eventually detained. It turned out that he had been accused of the same crime at least twice before, but was acquitted in one case and granted bail in the other.All that changed on Friday night. A young woman in New Delhi has alleged that she was raped by an Uber driver. After her complaint, the police could not figure out how to contact a human from Uber until an officer downloaded the app and used it to hail a car. He asked the driver to take him to Uber’s office. It would be hours before the police got any useful information. The man accused of rape was eventually detained. It turned out that he had been accused of the same crime at least twice before, but was acquitted in one case and granted bail in the other.
Most of Uber’s cabs in India are run through third-party contractors who own and manage fleets of cars. They are required by Uber to check their drivers’ backgrounds, a process that mostly involves procuring a certificate from the police stating that the person in question has no criminal record — a largely meaningless exercise because such certification is routinely obtained through bribes of less than $10. I spoke to several Uber drivers who said their “police verification” was bought in this manner. Some said their backgrounds were not checked at all.Most of Uber’s cabs in India are run through third-party contractors who own and manage fleets of cars. They are required by Uber to check their drivers’ backgrounds, a process that mostly involves procuring a certificate from the police stating that the person in question has no criminal record — a largely meaningless exercise because such certification is routinely obtained through bribes of less than $10. I spoke to several Uber drivers who said their “police verification” was bought in this manner. Some said their backgrounds were not checked at all.
The driver accused of rape had a police certificate that said he was “not involved in any criminal offense as per the records of” one police station in New Delhi. The police have said that the certificate was forged. Even if it were genuine it would not surprise anyone in India.The driver accused of rape had a police certificate that said he was “not involved in any criminal offense as per the records of” one police station in New Delhi. The police have said that the certificate was forged. Even if it were genuine it would not surprise anyone in India.
A rapist’s best ally is the corrupt government official. The government may be complicit in this alleged crime, but it has pretended that the problem is an app. On Monday, the Delhi region’s Transport Department banned Uber and its Indian clones and declared their operations in the National Capital Region illegal on various grounds. But I have been riding in Uber cabs since the ban was announced, and even as I write this column on Tuesday the cars are available. One driver showed me a text message on his mobile phone that he said was from Uber. The message asked him not to lose faith in the service “in these difficult times” and said Uber would continue to operate.A rapist’s best ally is the corrupt government official. The government may be complicit in this alleged crime, but it has pretended that the problem is an app. On Monday, the Delhi region’s Transport Department banned Uber and its Indian clones and declared their operations in the National Capital Region illegal on various grounds. But I have been riding in Uber cabs since the ban was announced, and even as I write this column on Tuesday the cars are available. One driver showed me a text message on his mobile phone that he said was from Uber. The message asked him not to lose faith in the service “in these difficult times” and said Uber would continue to operate.
Uber is staying put, and by making it illicit, the government has probably relieved it of the pressure to ensure the safety of its users.Uber is staying put, and by making it illicit, the government has probably relieved it of the pressure to ensure the safety of its users.
India’s best-known economics writer, Swaminathan Anklesaria Aiyar, told me that Uber “is a company that does not have a moral compass, but it does serve the society.”India’s best-known economics writer, Swaminathan Anklesaria Aiyar, told me that Uber “is a company that does not have a moral compass, but it does serve the society.”
For many years, until the recent arrival of radio cabs, taking a taxi or an auto-rickshaw in India was an act of accepting defeat. The customer was often cheated and the drivers were unruly. So in India, unlike in some American and European cities, Uber does not have to contend with nostalgia. It has been, in a way, a liberator.For many years, until the recent arrival of radio cabs, taking a taxi or an auto-rickshaw in India was an act of accepting defeat. The customer was often cheated and the drivers were unruly. So in India, unlike in some American and European cities, Uber does not have to contend with nostalgia. It has been, in a way, a liberator.
Follow Manu Joseph, author of the novel “The Illicit Happiness of Other People,” on Facebook.Follow Manu Joseph, author of the novel “The Illicit Happiness of Other People,” on Facebook.