City Police Quiz Ola Cabs Over Safety Concerns

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 implemented by them.

According to sources, Cyberabad DCP (Traffic) Avinash Mohanty called Ola Cabs authorities and asked them to furnish complete details on their working model and the steps taken to ensure the safety of passengers.

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 faced a potential threat from some "aggregators" like Ola Cabs who, they alleged, were indirectly sabotaging the travel and IT industry of Hyderabad.

They had also alleged that the operating model of Ola Cabs was similar to that of Uber, which faced a nation-wide ban after the incident of rape in December 2014 in New Delhi.

Ola Cabs has also been accused of luring drivers with high commissions and incentives. Consequently, many drivers and cab owners had withdrawn their vehicles and services from regular duties to get them engaged with Ola Cabs. This had disrupted the fleet operations in several IT companies, it was alleged.

However, the police authorities were more concerned about the allegation that Ola Cabs did not conduct any background checks on its drivers, and simply relied on the documents submitted by the drivers to the company. They did not even verify their addresses but depended on the addresses on which their bank accounts had been opened, and never checked the authenticity of those addresses, the TSCBOA had alleged.

The Ola Cabs authorities reportedly claimed that their working model was safe. However, the police authorities are cross-checking the claims to ensure that all security concerns are being addressed. (INN)