Victim slams resumption of Uber Cab services

BENGALURU: Slamming the resumption of services by taxi hailing app Uber in Delhi, the victim of the alleged rape by a driver on the Uber network has said through her lawyer that she doubts whether the “India-specific safety measures” by the San Francisco startup will prevent another attack.

“While we have no doubt that Uber is focused on its bottom line, we are surprised by this development as we had made it clear to Uber that the victim wanted to be part of the consultation process regarding safety procedures to ensure no other person becomes a victim at the hands of an Uber driver,” Douglas H Wigdor, the victim’s lawyer, wrote in response to an ET query. “Most unfortunately, this has not happened.”

The company, he said, “had the audacity” to send an email directly to his client announcing that it has re-entered the market in Delhi.Uber declined comment. The victim has retained Wigdor to represent her although no lawsuit has been filed. Wigdor LLP is based in New York. On January 15, Britain’s The Guardian reported that the law firm was examining the possibility of asking a US court to exercise jurisdiction in the case because Uber’s conduct was based on company policy made in the US.

Since the alleged incident on December 6, Uber claims to have re-verified that all drivers have authentic and valid police verification, in addition to offering several other features including in-app safety features that allow commuters to share trip details with loved ones.