Of the 11 Indian cities it operates in, Uber has struck out in two of them already. Following its ban in New Delhi after a passenger was allegedly raped by an Uber driver, the online cab service has now been deemed illegal in the city of Hyderabad in India, reports Tech In Asia.
Speaking to The Times of India, Joint transport commissioner of Hyderabad T Raghunath said, “Uber has not obtained permission from the Regional Transport Authority (RTA) to operate or facilitate taxi or cab service in the city. So, if such transport services are being provided or facilitated by Uber in city, they are illegal.”
Raghunath also said that since the company had not registered with the RTA, they knew nothing of Uber’s operations, or about how many similar services are operating in the city. That could explain why nothing has been said about the alleged rape or Uber’s background check practices in connection with this ban, which first drew attention to it in the capital.
While Uber may be in the wrong for not registering here, it’s odd that the RTA has no clue about these online cab services, and took this long to take notice. Several similar services operate around the country too, and market their services online and in mainstream media.
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Citizens of Hyderabad have been advised not to avail Uber’s services as it is not not authorized in the state of Telangana. It may not be long before the company faces roadblocks across India.
➤ Uber rape case: now another Indian city bans Uber, declares it ‘illegal’ [Tech in Asia]
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