America
Uber panic button a marketing ploy: Rape victim's US lawyer
The US-based lawyer of a
Delhi woman executive who was allegedly raped by an Uber cab driver in
December, Wednesday dismissed the addition of a panic button to the
web-based US taxi firm's app in India as a "marketing ploy".
"Today's
additions of a panic button and ride share notification to the Uber app
in India are far cries from the safety measures riders need," New
York-based lawyer Douglas H. Wigdor said in a statement on Twitter.
"Most
unfortunately, neither of these measures would have prevented the rape
of our client and are yet another obvious marketing ploy to garner the
support of the people of Delhi who deserve more," he said.
"Hopefully,
our lawsuit will bring about real change so that others are nor
needlessly placed in harm's way," said Wigdor, who last month filed a
case against Uber accusing it of focusing on profits over the safety of
its passengers.
Uber, which had recently introduced enhanced background checks, added two new safety features Wednesday.
The
new panic button lets passengers taking a trip immediately contact
local police. Users will need to tap the button and confirm the call.
The second feature -- Send Status -- replaces Uber's existing "Share My ETA" option.
It sends live GPS information along with driver and vehicle details to up to five of the passenger's contacts.
Demanding
a trial by jury, the Delhi woman's lawsuit filed in a California court
seeks a direction to Uber to "remedy the effects of the unlawful
conduct" alleged in the complaint, "and to prevent repeated occurrences
in the future".
It also seeks an award of unspecified amount of
punitive damages to be determined at trial, plus prejudgment interest,
to compensate the victim "for all physical, monetary and/or economic
harm".
The accused driver, Shiv Kumar Yadav, is currently on trial on rape and kidnapping charges in Delhi.
Delhi banned Uber and several other web-based taxi firms for failing to carry out adequate driver checks in early December.
But last month, Uber announced resumption of its services in Delhi.
(Arun Kumar can be contacted at [email protected])