Cabs plying in the Capital will soon be monitored on real-time basis around the clock to add another layer to commuters’ safety, especially female cab passengers, said Delhi Transport Minister Kailash Gahlot.
In addition to setting up a central control room (CCR) for the GPS-enabled tracking of cabs as soon as they are hired by passengers, the Transport Department is in the process of creating a comprehensive database of cab operators.
The database will have the personal and background information of each driver, and any driver not on the database is liable to be penalised.
Both functions, so far, fell within the purview of private entities such as cab companies and aggregators such as Uber and Ola, but will now be overseen directly by the Delhi government with the implementation of the City Taxi Scheme, 2017, according to a source.
“The government intends to ensure that passengers hailing cabs in the Capital feel safe. The City Taxi Scheme, 2017, will have several enabling guidelines aimed at ensuring this,” Mr. Gahlot told The Hindu .
‘Job of cab operators’
“A CCR will soon be made operational and be equipped with infrastructure required to monitor all cabs plying in the city through GPS. Strict action and prosecution will follow if any cabs are found operating without such systems,” the Transport Minister added.
According to Transport Department records, close to 74,000 cabs across various categories were registered in Delhi till March 25, 2017. While the total number of ordinary cabs stands at 66,314 of this, 6,174 maxi cabs and 1,257 luxury cabs constitute the rest.
Legal provisions currently in force mandate the installation of GPS or GPRS devices aboard every vehicle seeking a permit to operate as a cab. The system enables tracking as well as maintenance of drivers’ databases by cab companies – but only, it seems, on paper.
“On the ground, however — especially in case of aggregators such as Uber and Ola — both functions were either not being performed or not being performed as effectively as required, which prompted the government to take over these responsibilities,” the source said.
