On February 17, 2020 Delhi Police has integrated its “Himmat Plus App” with the app of ride hailing company “Uber” to ensure safety and security of people travelling in cabs. The Himmat Plus App was launched at the Indira Gandhi International (IGI) airport. This app will give the real-time location of a driver or a rider during emergency. In response to it, Police Control Room (PCR) van will be assigned to provide assistance to the rider.
Through this integration, Delhi Police will receive the real-time locations of drivers and passengers. In case of an emergency, the live tracking will help Delhi Police assign the closest police station to act on the call and prevent any unfortunate event from happening. It must be noted that sharing live location with the Delhi Police is going to be optional for passengers. It will be optional for passengers to share their ride tracking option with the police, according Delhi Police officials.
Uber and Delhi Police distributed over 1,000 Himmat QR Verification Cards to driver partners. Once a rider scans the QR Card, they can access driver partners’ details and vehicle information on the Himmat app, and can report their journey directly to the Delhi Police via the app.
In case of an emergency situation, riders can contact police on the Himmat app. After reporting an emergency situation, the Uber safety response team will call the user and inquire if they want to share real-time location link and a few other details with Delhi Police control room or not. If the rider provides consent, then Uber will share details such as name, contact number, emergency contact number, real-time location of driver, car details, and details of the driver.
While launching the new service, Delhi Police Commissioner Amulya Patnaik said that the integration with enhanced location services and travel information will help save lives.
"We welcome the use of technology that enables Delhi Police to react more quickly and efficiently during an emergency. With conscious efforts like QR Card distribution among driver partners, we are happy that private partners like Uber are working with us directly in making Delhi safer for all our residents and visitors," Patnaik said.
Author – Satwik Sharma
