Taxi operators propose Aadhar-linked app checks for drivers to curb crime

MUMBAI: The regulated cab operators like Meru Cabs plan to suggest to the government to get the Aadhar/UID database linked to a mobile app and a retina scanner to ensure that a driver's background is always checked at the start of a journey.
It will ensure that only the person authorized by the company is actually driving the taxi and not any unauthorized driver who is not verified or trained by the company.
If implemented, this could be an unique fool-proof system to verify the antecedents of a driver every time citizens book a cab.
While a senior transport official welcomed the suggestion, he said it will be for the government to take a final call on its implementation.. "It sounds good. Many times, a driver may not have any crime record at the time of his police verification, but he may be involved in a molestation or rape case subsequently. In the proposed system, his antecedents are checked every time he plies a cab and such real-time checks can help weed out the errant drivers,'' the official, who requested anonymity, said.
Said Meru Cabs CEO Siddhartha Pahwa, "The use of Aadhar card to check real-time crime data will ensure that the right quality of drivers are in the system. We also suggest that there should be a national database of drivers and a government-backed training academy for them — where we can build a quality pool of drivers and impart proper skills."
Said a senior technology official from a fleetcab firm, "Aadhar can provide unique identity of any person in the country. It identifies a person based on fingerprint or iris scan, which is near impossible to forge or duplicate. The authority also collects the address proof and other relevant documents of the person while issuing the number, thus the address verification is also reasonably ensured. With a simple app on Android phone integrated to a fingerprint scanner or a iris scanner, private cab operators/aggregators should be allowed to connect to the Aadhar database to verify if the Aadhar number belongs to the same person.
"Secondly, the government can take a lead in creating a centralized database of all persons with criminal background and link them with Aadhar number. This database can then be made available to check the criminal record of any person by sending the Aadhar number,'' the official stated.
A TabCab official said that though the company had the antecedents of every driver checked, it was open to introducing new security measures to ensure passenger safety.
Nilesh Sangoi, chief technology officer of Meru Cabs, suggested that all cab operators and aggregator companies can come together and implement a centralized 'driver reputation' agency. "If any of the company encounters a driver with criminal background or a serious safety complaint from a passenger, the information can then be fed into the centralized registry for the benefit of other companies." At present, some of the tourist cab drivers were found working for more than one taxi aggregators.