‘Akin to Mobility Lockdown’: Uber Reacts to Possible Ban on Entry of Cabs into Delhi

Uber has sent a letter to Delhi Lt Governor VK Saxena against the government’s plans to ban app-based taxis from coming into the capital city. Uber earlier made a statement on this issue, saying that all the cars on its platform are either electric or CNG; therefore, it is already following the pollution protocols. Uber highlighted that banning cabs could lead to various travel-related issues, especially during the Odd-Even rule. The Delhi government is planning to implement the odd-even rule on November 13, but has postponed it after seeing the reduced AQI level and sudden rain. The app-based company said that this issue requires a more scientific approach.

The Delhi government is planning to ban app-based taxis from coming into the capital city. Delhi Environment Minister Gopal Rai categorized the air quality in Delhi as 'severe'. To reduce the increased pollution level, the court has said that taxis registered outside Delhi should be stopped from entering the capital city. Only cabs registered in Delhi can ply on the Delhi roads. Commuters who daily travel between Gurgaon and Noida via cab will only be allowed to pass through if the cab is registered in Delhi. The officials shared with the media that the complete details of the new order are still awaited.

Also Read: Odd-Even Rule Put on Hold but Not Out: AQI Levels Rise Once Again in Delhi

Uber mentioned in its letter to Delhi Lt Governor VK Saxena that all of its vehicles in Delhi use CNG technology. “We would like to bring to your attention that every single one of the 70,000 cars on the Uber platform across Delhi-NCR runs on clean fuel—CNG or electric—as opposed to private vehicles that run on petrol or diesel, which are the more polluting fuels. Any shift from private vehicles to CNG or electric cabs would only abate the pollution by encouraging people to move to cleaner fuels."

Uber also highlighted the studies showing that vehicular emissions only make up a little portion of Delhi's increased pollution levels. “We also note that a recent study conducted by the Delhi Technological University found that less than 2% of the air pollution in Delhi could be pinned to four-wheelers, implying that there is a need to concentrate on other polluting factors that have a significant impact on emissions."

The ride-hailing platform Uber further stated that banning cabs in the capital city will cause a great deal of inconvenience to people in the Delhi-NCR region. The letter written by Uber reads, “Apart from the negligible impact on emissions, this move would be a huge unnecessary inconvenience to the people of the NCR region. The Delhi-NCR region encompasses several districts surrounding Delhi from the states of Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, and Rajasthan, which make movement restrictions impractical and hard to execute. This would be akin to a mobility lockdown for citizens of Delhi-NCR who would be left in the lurch if they needed to access critical infrastructure like the airport, railway stations, and even major hospitals."