The National Commission for Women (NCW) has issued a series of recommendations for states and territories aimed at enhancing the safety of female passengers using ride-hailing apps and digital transport services. These measures were adopted in light of growing safety concerns reported across various regions.
The Commission insists on the necessity of conducting appropriate criminal background checks, as well as police and biographical screenings of drivers before they begin working. Furthermore, it mandates monitoring of drivers operating during nighttime hours and equipping every vehicle with an SOS button to send alerts to a control center.
NCW notes that since services such as taxis, auto-rickshaws, bike-taxis, and other app-based services have become an integral part of daily mobility, especially for women traveling alone, ensuring safety throughout the entire journey has become paramount.
Existing incidents related to driver or vehicle identity mismatches, route deviations, inappropriate behavior, stalking, unsafe drop-off points, delayed emergency response, and insufficient complaint resolution underscore the need for a coordinated and accountable safety system.
The guidelines released in this context also take into account recommendations from the J. S. Verma Committee Report of 2013, as well as the regulatory framework established by the 2025 Guidelines for Transport Aggregators issued by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways.
The Chairperson of NCW, Vidya Rakhatkar, has sent letters to the chief secretaries of all states and territories requesting them to take appropriate measures to implement these recommendations.
Focusing on driver and vehicle vetting, the guidelines require aggregators to ensure that the driver and vehicle assigned to a passenger match the data displayed in the application. It is asserted that 'Any unauthorized change in driver or vehicle must be duly noted in the application and treated as a safety issue.' The guidelines also call for the creation of mechanisms to receive real-time alerts regarding any route deviations or suspicious stops.
Additionally, in cases of identity mismatch, there is provision for trip cancellation without penalty. A requirement is also established for aggregators to strive to maintain a vetted pool of female drivers, providing women traveling alone the option to request a female driver through the app.
Strengthening requirements for the screening and monitoring of drivers working at night, the guidelines define measures ranging from mandatory photo verification of the driver at the start of the trip and combating driver intoxication, enhanced monitoring by the control center, to providing a safe drop-off option at the end of the journey.
The guidelines state: 'Aggregators may create a special and time-bound mechanism for resolving complaints concerning driver misconduct, stalking, assault, route deviation, unauthorized substitution of driver or vehicle, and failure of emergency response mechanisms.'