In a move that comes weeks after a driver was charged with rape in Delhi, Uber plans to introduce background check procedures for its drivers in India.
According to local Uber executives, the company started operating in NCR in late 2013, but has not screened those drivers. Earlier Uber took on drivers if they presented a driver's license, proof of insurance and a commercial permit to drive a cab.
Uber will now run a series of more stringent checks on its drivers, which include verification of character by the local police, a formal background check and efforts to detect fraud in driving and vehicle permits, reports NDTV.
An Uber customer in Delhi was raped last month, and the authorities said that the driver had confessed to the crime.
A New Delhi court on Tuesday charged the driver with rape, kidnapping and criminal intimidation.
Shortly after the rape was reported, Uber was banned from continuing its operations in NCR.
"The tragic event in Delhi was a deeply sobering reminder that we must always be vigilant in the endeavour to achieve best-in-class safety," Uber's safety lead in India, Deval Delivala, said on Thursday. "Our teams have worked tirelessly in the past month to reverify [sic] all safety aspects of our operations in India," he added.
