The recent news of a rape allegedly committed by Delhi Uber driver Shiv Kumar Yadav on a female passenger, has created a vacuum of trust in the industry of cars for hire. Meru Cabs has turned to biometrics in order to ensure that deviant and dangerous individuals (described by the company CTO as “serial offenders and psychos”) are prevented from entering into the system and hopes that other taxi companies will follow suit.
Invoking India’s Aadhaar national ID program, Nilesh Sangoi, CTO of Meru Cabs, stated in a blog post over the weekend that the company will begin making cars safer by verifying the ID numbers of all drivers, while facilitating the enrollment of those who do not yet have an Aadhaar ID.
This is just the first step, however, and over the next few months Sangoi says that Meru Cabs will be looking into biometric time and attendance style solutions that will guarantee that drivers are who they say they are.
“This will be a foolproof way to ensure that only the authorised person is driving the cab,” he writes. “Currently there are challenges in having a biometric scanner integrated with the driver’s data terminal and its smooth functioning, but we are confident of resolving this issue over next few months.”
Making cabs safe for female passengers is a noble cause, and biometrics in the car and throughout society are an excellent way to help achieve this goal after such a disturbing and tragic crime. Sangoi’s post ends with a call to action for the Indian government to begin taking steps toward a national database of registered offenders that is linked to Aadhaar. Admitting that such a measure will surely take time to properly implement, he additionally asks other taxi service providers to follow in Meru Cabs’ example.
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December 15, 2014 – by Peter B. Counter
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