तुम ना wake up ho jao।
I don't care if police verifications take too long in India. I don't care if a central police database is not available. I don't care if police clearance certificates have been found to be forged. I don't care if mandatory police checks would seriously restrict your choice of partners/drivers.
I want to be treated at par with all your customers, anywhere in the world. If you follow a 3 step verification going back 7 years in the USA, you will bloody well do the same here. Or get the hell out of my country. हम साला छोटे नवाब के बेटे हैं जो sub standard service लें। ये हमें मुफ़्त में ride दे रहे हो? And this isn't some product or service that I'll have to discard for poor quality or support and suffer monetary loss. Your shortcuts have caused grievous harm to a person. YOU are guilty of this rape, guilty by omission. How would you guys feel if your kid's day care centre hired a paedophile, just because they didn't bother to check his references?
But is it just Uber that we should be blaming? All they did was get caught doing what every business is trying to do - cut costs, increase revenue. As shareholders we all want a business house to do exactly what we hate as customers, i.e. bleed us dry. The real fault lies with our administration, law makers and those executing them. It is because of poor administration that any body and everybody feels he is above the laws here. How come these Uber people have been accused of flouting so many norms after a person has..... suffered, to put it mildly. If these norms were not met, they shouldn't have been allowed to set up shop.
Or at least all Uber cabs should have been forced to carry a warning message, like cigarette packet, or a mutual fund document. 'Enter at your own risk. The Indian Govt, local authorities and Uber Cabs will not be held liable in case of fleecing, overcharging, robbery, rape or murder. All disputes will be subject to jurisdiction of the Hon'ble court of Cayman Islands. Passengers are advised to avoid napping and to carry mace or any suitable items for self defence'. If that is too much to paint on the car, the driver can play a recording, like the recorded messages played in Delhi markets by Delhi police to warn the public of explosive devices and such.
Wait, I am not done, not by just blaming Uber and the authorities. We too are responsible. We, the educated, enlightened, upper class citizens, those who can afford air travel and Uber cabs and scoff at bargaining and all things Indian. We don't bother to check anything before buying or hiring, not if it is 'imported'. The maid who has worked in your house for the last 10 years is surreptiously followed around the house as she performs her duties. Even a missing butter knife is proof of her 'aukaat'. But if the same person is sent by a 'Housekeeping Firm' with a fancy name, an upmarket office and an English speaking front office, we are thoroughly convinced about the moral fibre of the worker.
And then there is the question of indigenisation. We dont just need 'Made in India', we need everything in India. We get so many posts on FB about being Indian and buying Indian. These aren't totally without merit. Its not just about keeping our money within the country. Its also about self interest. I have already stated that then one aim of every business is to earn profits, so I am not going to say that Indian firms will look after your interests. Its just that a local firm is more susceptible to legal action in case of any misdemeanors. Think Satyam and Union Carbide. In case of customer uprisings, an international firm loses just one market, a local market risks losing its market.
So, think Flipkart before Amazon, Meru before Uber, Bajaj before Suzuki, Tata before Honda. Definitely Tata!
Disclaimer. The author is not in receipt of any commissions from Flipkart, Meru, Bajaj or Tata of any kind, except a fierce sense of pride.
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