Rapido Driver Accused Of Raping Woman In Bengaluru, Startup Says Safety Utmost Priority

Bengaluru-based ride-hailing app Rapido has got into another controversy — this time for a heinous crime in which a Rapido bike driver allegedly raped a 22-year-old female passenger from Kerala in Bengaluru last week.

As per various reports, the city’s police confirmed the incident and said that one of the two persons accused of the crime was a Rapido bike driver named Shahabuddin. Besides, one of the accused also had a criminal case against him in the past, the police said.

Bengaluru Police Commissioner Pratap Reddy told the media that the woman had hired a Rapido bike to visit a friend’s house. On the way, the bike driver took her to his place and raped her along with his friend.

The police reportedly got the information about the incident after the aggrieved woman visited a hospital for medical help on November 26. “Police immediately registered an FIR and swung into action and have arrested all the accused,” Reddy said.

A Rapido spokesperson told Inc42 that the accused driver has been removed from the platform.

“Rapido strongly condemns the action of one of the riders registered on our platform who was booked by the police for assaulting a lady and deeply apologises to the victim who had to undergo such an unfortunate ordeal,” a spokesperson said in a statement.

“We have extended all help to the police and assisted in apprehending the accused. Rapido will continue to extend its full support to the police in their investigation of this case. Rapido has a customer-first policy and we wish to stress the fact that their security and safety are of the utmost priority,” the statement added.

Rapido allows every user to add up to four emergency contacts on its platform on which the customers can send alerts in case of any emergency during the ride. 

Besides, the startup also has a message on its app FAQ section on safety where it speaks about a zero-tolerance policy. “Rapido condemns any violence or indecent behaviour by any of its stakeholders. We have a zero tolerance policy towards such actions. We request you to share more details about your ride. Please be assured that we will be taking up this issue on priority and necessary action will be taken on the captain,” the message reads.

However, many users complain that getting in touch with the Rapido customer care team and resolving issues is a cumbersome task post the completion of the ride.

Sexual Harassment Incidents And Other Issues 

Ride-hailing platforms, including Ola and Uber, have frequently faced backlash for incidents where their drivers have been accused of sexually harassing women riders.

Earlier this month, a Bengaluru woman alleged that she was harassed by a Rapido rider. However, the police later said she was lying.

Earlier this year, The Uber Files revealed that in the wake of a rape case in Delhi in 2014, after which Uber was banned in the national capital for seven months, the company blamed the Indian authorities for the incident. Though Uber added an SOS button to its app and its cabs in India post the incident, an investigation into the SOS buttons found that those tools were not as effective as initially expected.

In the past few years, the ride-hailing platforms have often been accused of violating norms and concerns have been raised about them. For brief periods, Ola and Rapido had to discontinue their bike taxi services in Karnataka and other states after allegations of them operating illegally.

However, bike taxis are currently operational again in Karnataka.

In October, the Karnataka government asked Ola, Uber, and Rapido to discontinue their auto services in Bengaluru for overcharging customers. Later, the matter went to the Karnataka High Court, which allowed the app-based auto aggregators to continue operating in the city until the Karnataka government comes up with a fair pricing mechanism.

As per a recent report, the state government is set to soon decide on the convenience fee that the ride-hailing apps can charge from the customers who book auto rides on their platforms.

Besides, the auto drivers of these aggregators have also been often accused of violating norms and carrying passengers in vehicles with registration numbers different from those mentioned on the platforms. While these platforms provide an option to complain about such incidents, users often complain about the aggregators not taking proper action.

Rapido, founded in 2015 by Rishikesh SR, Aravind Sanka, and Pavan Guntupalli, has a presence in over 100 Indian cities and claims to have served more than 15 Mn customers. Besides bike taxi and auto services, Rapido offers peer-to-peer delivery service for essentials, including food, groceries, and medicines, where it competes with Swiggy Genie and Dunzo courier service.