Amidst a protracted legal battle between the Centre and Delhi governments, international cab aggregation service Uber has submitted a white paper to contend that allowing it to function could help improve the Capital’s air quality.
The Delhi government, which is currently tackling the issue of lack of last-mile connectivity in the national capital region (NCR), is understood to be consulting experts on Uber’s suggestions.
Supplementing the white paper with a blog post, the US-based vehicle aggregator argued that while there was an urgent need to address pollution in Delhi, a blanket ban of commercial cars plying on diesel fuel within the city may not be an effective solution, especially when there were thousands of families whose livelihoods depended on the business supported by these vehicles.
Uber argued there were, according to its research, more cars owned in Delhi than in Mumbai, Bangalore and Chennai combined with the city having over 2.5 million private cars registered in the city. Only a little over 35,000 of these, Uber argued, were diesel-run vehicles registered as tourist taxis, with the All-India Tourist Taxi Permits.
With more efficient engine and emission technology now available, Uber has proposed that existing commercial cars that run on fuels other than clean fuels such as CNG be allowed to ply within Delhi, provided they conform to the Bharat IV or higher emission standards.
“We suggest that any restriction, if so warranted after a consideration of facts and improvements in technology from 2002, be imposed with prospective effect,” Uber said adding that it was willing to channel investments into India and invite the government to partner in the research and development of scalable clean fuel technology and infrastructure in Delhi and NCR. Uber has also suggested, as a long-term solution, that the government consider forward-looking regulations to allow for carpooling and ride-sharing in the city. “This will help de-congest roads, improve commute times, and take cars off the road. Uber is committed to finding technological solutions to facilitate carpooling and invest into the Indian market to foster job creation, more efficient transport infrastructure, and safe, reliable and efficient transportation for Delhi citizens,” Uber said.
Uber has submitted
a white paper to contend that allowing it to function could help improve the Capital’s air
