Police quizzes Ola Cabs over Safety Hyderabad, Feb 26 (INN): Following complaints received from the regular cab operators, the Cyberabad Police on Thursday called the managers of Ola Cabs and sought details on the safety and security measures.
According to sources, Cyberabad DCP (Traffic) Avinash Mohanty called Ola Cabs authorities and asked them to furnish complete details on their working module and steps being taken to ensure safety of passengers.
It may be mentioned that the Telangana State Cabs and Bus Operators Association (TSCBOA) had lodged a complaint with Deputy Chief Minister Mohammed Mahmood Ali, Transport Minister P Mahender Reddy and Transport Commissioner Sandeep Kumar Sultania, alleging that the city faces a potential threat from some "Aggregators" like Ola Cabs who, they alleged are indirectly sabotaging the travel and IT industry of Hyderabad. They also alleged that the working module of Ola Cabs was similar to the Uber Taxi, which faced a nation-wide ban after the incident of rape in December 2014 in New Delhi.
The Ola Cabs has also been accused of luring the drivers with high commissions and incentives. Consequently, many drivers and cab owners have withdrawn their vehicles and services from the regular duties to get them engaged with Old Cabs. This has already disrupted the fleet operations in several IT companies.
However, the police authorities were more concerned about the allegation that the Ola Cabs do not conduct any background checks on their drivers. They simply rely on the documents submitted by the drivers to the company. They do not even verify their addresses but depend on the addresses on which their bank accounts have been opened. They never check the authenticity of those addresses, as alleged by the TSCBOA.
The drivers are provided with iPhone 4s which has an Ola application that cannot be deleted. However, if the phone is switched off, the GPS also gets switched off. Therefore, there is no way to track the vehicle in case drivers switch off the phone, said Nizamuddin.
The Ola Cabs authorities have reportedly claimed that their working module was safe. However, the police authorities are cross checking the claims to ensure that all security concerns are addresses.
News Posted: 26 February, 2015
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