Gurugram links police helpline with pvt cab hailing apps

The Gurugram Traffic Police has approved the facility to link “Dial 112” — police helpline — to different cab applications for the safety of women passengers travelling in cabs, police said on Saturday. As part of the “Safe Journey” initiative, women passengers can register themselves by calling 112 and provide their travel details in advance.

Deputy commissioner of police (traffic) Virender Vij said that once a passenger has registered herself, and calls the helpline, the said details will flash on the dashboard of the screen. “Women passengers travelling alone can share their name, mobile number, pick and drop locations, and expected time with the helpline. The Haryana 112 team will remain in constant touch with the passenger until she reaches her destination safely. Her location will be on live tracking throughout the journey,” he said.

Presently, the feature is only for Gurugram but this will be extended to other areas as well, police said, adding that the usage of cabs in Haryana is highest in Millennium City.

Police said that coordinated efforts would be made to ensure safe public transport for women as the police would coordinate with local cab unions, auto unions and public transporters for this purpose — their data will be integrated with the Dial 112 service.

A woman calling on the helpline during an emergency may get immediate relief as the responder will know the complete details of the suspect to alert police, police added.

Vij said this safety feature was long awaited and a lot of complaints were received regarding the behaviour of drivers following which this initiative was taken. “The safety of passengers is our prime concern. Though the drivers and their details are already handy with the aggregators, this feature will also keep the driver under scanner during the trip,” he said.

Police said the registration process is a one-time process but if anyone changes their phone number, they can register afresh or get their number changed. A panic button and “Dial 112” will be added as a new feature to the apps used for booking cabs. In case of an emergency, women can press that button, dial 112 and the nearest PCR will reach the spot within eight minutes.

Vandana Sharma, a resident of Sushant Lok 1 said that once the feature is added, family members will not have to worry about women travelling alone. “This will ensure peace for family members and drivers will not try to misbehave during the trip,” she said.

Director general of police (DGP), Shatrujeet Singh Kapur, said that working women face challenges while travelling like last-mile connectivity.

“To ensure their safety and security, we have already introduced unique identification stickers for auto-rickshaws with serial numbers registered with the regional transport authority (RTA) and drivers’ pictures. This will not only curb crimes but also ensure women’s safety. Auto-rickshaws without these stickers are not permitted on the road,” he said.

Traffic police in October had started the drive for auto-rickshaw drivers — with display plates in vehicles carrying their names, phone numbers and Aadhaar numbers — and the data being integrated with the Dial 112 service.

“Anyone found driving a vehicle that does not belong to them will be fined and the vehicle will be impounded. We already are putting stickers on public transport vehicles such as Ola, Uber, and autos that contain the driver’s name, mobile number, and vehicle number,” said Vij.