HC seeks Centre, AAP govt stand on PIL against car pooling apps

The Delhi High Court Thursday sought response of the Centre and AAP government on a plea seeking action against car-pooling mobile apps like Quick Ride which are operating in the national capital.

A bench of Chief Justice D N Patel and Justice C Hari Shankar issued notice to the ministries of Transport and Electronics and IT, Delhi government's transport department and the traffic police seeking their stand on the petition.

The court was hearing a plea by a cab owner/driver and his assistant aggrieved by the actions of web-based car-pooling app Quick Ride operated by Bengaluru-based iDisha Info Labs Pvt Ltd.

The petitioners, Ravi Ratan Sharma and Gurminder Singh, have contended that the cars being used for pooling are private vehicles, bearing white registration plates, which are not permitted to carry passengers indiscriminately for hire or reward.

In their plea, filed through advocate Sanyam Khetarpal, they have sought directions to the authorities to take action against companies which offer car pooling facilities for hire and reward using private vehicles.

Action has also been sought against individuals who are operating their private vehicles in association with such companies or platforms.

The plea has also sought directions to the authorities to ensure that vehicles registered for personal use do not operate as a transport vehicle to carry passengers in any form whatsoever, "especially car pooling".

The petition has said that Quick Ride "connects passengers with drivers via an algorithm based on pickup and drop off location in real time and schedules rides instantaneously".

"Surprisingly, the rides offered on the Quick Ride platform are on private vehicles which are vicariously operating as transport vehicles when in law they are not permitted to operate for hire or reward," the plea has said.

The petition has claimed that such car pooling operations have been going on in the national capital region for a considerable period of time, but the authorities have taken no action against them.

It has contended that while the petitioners have to comply with the conditions attached to the license or permits granted by state authorities for operating a cab, by contrast individuals plying their private vehicles in association with platforms like Quick Ride do not have to conform to any regulations.

"Resultantly, private vehicles are free to ferry passengers to any area and at any price as against a conventional motor cab which is required to abide by conditions which may be imposed by the relevant authority in this regard," the petition has said.

It has also said that activities of platforms like Quick Ride "gravely affect the livelihood of valid permit holders" like the petitioners.