Delhi Uber passenger who alleges driver rape sues in US

[SAN FRANCISCO] A passenger who said she had been raped by an Uber driver in India's capital sued the online car service in US federal court on Thursday, claiming the company failed to maintain basic safety procedures.

In the lawsuit, the woman, who resides in Delhi and was not named, called Uber the "modern day equivalent of electronic hitchhiking." "Buyer beware - we all know how those horror movies end,"the suit stated.

The woman, who reported being raped and beaten in early December after hailing a ride with the Uber driver, asks for an overhaul of Uber's safety practices, including localized 24-hour customer-support centres and in-car video cameras.

She is also seeking unspecified damages from the US-based company. The woman has previously been described as a financial executive.

India is Uber's largest market outside the United States by the number of cities covered, and the country's radio taxi market is estimated to be worth US$6 billion (S$8.11 billion) to US$9 billion.

The rape allegation triggered protests and reignited a debate about the safety of women in Asia's third-largest economy, especially in New Delhi, which has been dubbed India's rape capital.

An Uber representative did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the lawsuit.

India banned Uber in New Delhi last month following the allegations and arrest of the driver. But the company restarted services there last week and applied for a radio taxi license.

The San Francisco-based company said it will not take any commission from its drivers in New Delhi until uncertainty over how it can operate in the country's capital city is cleared up.

Uber, valued at US$40 billion last month, said last week it would introduce additional safety measures including more stringent driver checks and an in-app emergency button. The Delhi case is one of several around the world, including one earlier this month in Chicago, in which passengers have accused their drivers of assault.

REUTERS