Police verification of drivers not compulsory in TN

The news of a woman doctor being abused by a cab driver and his friends has thrown open a debate on the need to conduct mandatory background checks of drivers hired by cab operators, but the aggregators say these are not mandatory in Tamil Nadu. Unlike Karnataka and West Bengal, the state does not have an 'On-Demand Transportation Technology Aggregator Rules' making police verification of drivers optional.
Cab operators mostly depend on certificates the drivers furnish. Ola says before hiring a driver, it verifies documents and certificates given by government departments. "As per law, we do not need police verification for a driver to join us. It is required only in Karnataka and West Bengal. Even though it is not required here, we do it. But the veracity of these documents lies solely on the government agency that is issuing them," said an Ola official.
Following the Sunday incident, the company put out a statement saying the driver has been terminated from the network. But no legal recourse was taken. "If the customer approaches the police and the police seek more information on the driver, we are always ready to oblige," said the official.
Meanwhile, the Chennai police held a meeting with representatives of cab operators and told them that it was mandatory to conduct background checks of the drivers they are hiring.
"We have asked them to install GPS in the cars and check their working condition at regular intervals. We have told them to install panic button near the passenger's seat and also explain the passenger on how to operate them," said a senior police officer.
The police have further asked operators that drivers should be provided with identity cards which they should wear when operating. Also, they should not allow any stranger or friends to board the car, when a trip is on.