The Delhi High Court issued notices to Ola, Uber, Rapido and government authorities on a PIL seeking stronger safety measures for women using app-based transport. The plea seeks driver and vehicle verification, 24×7 emergency response, route-deviation alerts, gender-sensitivity training and verified women-driver options.

The Delhi High Court has sought responses on a PIL seeking tighter safety protocols for women using app-based transport services | AI Generated Image

New Delhi, September 30, 2026: The Delhi High Court on Wednesday issued notices to app-based ride platforms Ola, Uber and Rapido, as well as the Union Government, Delhi Government and Delhi Police, on a public interest litigation (PIL) seeking stronger and uniform safety measures for women using cabs, bike-taxis and other ride-hailing services in the national capital.

A Division Bench of Chief Justice Devendra Kumar Upadhyaya and Justice Tejas Karia directed the parties to file their replies. “We want to make the private operators of the taxi apps accountable. That is the reason we are issuing notices,” the court said. The matter will next be heard on December 16, Bar & Bench and Live Law report.

Driver Checks Under Scanner

The PIL, filed by Aditya Sehgal, seeks a comprehensive review of existing safety mechanisms and mandatory safety protocols and standard operating procedures (SOPs) for app-based transport aggregators.

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Sehgal’s counsel told the court that app-based companies operate more than two lakh cabs in the Delhi-NCR region, but drivers are not checked at night. “There is no checking of these drivers after 8 o’clock, or 9 o’clock, whether they are operating for the airport or for any strategic location, whether they are drunk or not,” the counsel said.

The petition raises concerns over driver verification and criminal antecedent checks, identification of drivers and vehicles, route deviations, emergency response, grievance redressal, preservation of electronic evidence and coordination between ride-hailing platforms and law-enforcement authorities.

Driver, Vehicle Must Match App Details

A key demand in the petition is that the driver and vehicle undertaking a ride must match the details displayed on the app. It seeks to have any unauthorised substitution of a driver or vehicle recorded as a safety-related incident.

Passengers should also be allowed to cancel such rides without financial penalty, according to the petition.

The plea refers to media reports concerning women passengers and allegations involving route deviations, inappropriate conduct, threats, harassment, driver misconduct and post-ride contact.

It states that representations were earlier sent to Uber India Systems Private Limited, Roppen Transportation Services Private Limited, which operates Rapido, and the Commissioner of Police, Delhi, over concerns about existing safety mechanisms. According to the petition, the responses did not substantively address the specific concerns raised.

24×7 Emergency Response Sought

The PIL seeks the establishment of 24×7 command and control centres to receive, monitor and respond to emergency and SOS alerts. It also seeks the sharing of booking details, the driver’s identity, vehicle registration number and real-time location with emergency responders and police, subject to privacy safeguards.

The petitioner has also sought automated alerts for material route deviations, along with surveillance and monitoring mechanisms at vulnerable, isolated and high-risk locations.

The suggested measures include suitable surveillance or patrol vehicles and technological monitoring systems capable of detecting suspicious movement, prolonged stoppages and significant route deviations.

Taken together, these demands put the focus not merely on responding after an incident but on building safeguards into every stage of an app-based journey, from driver verification to emergency response.

Gender-Sensitivity Training For Drivers

The petition seeks periodic and verifiable gender-sensitivity training for drivers, covering appropriate conduct with women passengers, prevention of sexual harassment, personal boundaries, emergency situations and the consequences of misconduct.

It contends that such training should not become a mere online or “tick-box” compliance exercise.

The PIL also calls for a time-bound grievance-redressal system for complaints involving driver misconduct, harassment, assault, route deviation, unauthorised changes of drivers or vehicles and failures of emergency-response mechanisms. It seeks appropriate escalation of such complaints to police wherever warranted.

Pool Of Verified Women Drivers

Another measure sought by the petitioner is the creation of a pool of verified women drivers. Women travelling alone should be allowed to request such drivers or be given preference in their allotment, subject to availability, the plea says.

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The range of measures sought in the PIL reflects a broader question before the court: how far ride-hailing platforms should be required to go in preventing safety failures rather than dealing with complaints only after they occur. The High Court’s observation about making private operators accountable places that question at the centre of the proceedings.

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