New Delhi, Feb 8 – The Delhi High Court has called for the stance of bike-taxi aggregator Rapido regarding a plea filed by two differently-abled individuals, citing accessibility issues on the platform’s mobile application.
Disability rights activist Amar Jain and visually-impaired banker Dipto Ghosh Chaudhary have expressed dissatisfaction with Rapido’s response to their concerns despite multiple updates to the app.
Justice Subramonium Prasad issued a notice on the application filed by Jain and Chaudhary, urging Rapido to address the “critical barriers” hindering the daily commute of differently-abled users.
The petitioners cited challenges such as the inability to independently cancel rides, track driver locations, and message drivers within the app.
Despite six updates to the mobile application, the petitioners claim that none of the flagged issues have been resolved, indicating Rapido’s “casual and insensitive attitude” towards accessibility concerns.
Last year, the petitioners had approached the high court seeking directions for Rapido to conduct an immediate accessibility audit and address accessibility barriers promptly.
They stressed the importance of ensuring comprehensive accessibility for differently-abled individuals in digital services.
The plea also sheds light on broader challenges faced by differently-abled users across various cab aggregator platforms, stressing the need for industry-wide measures to accommodate their needs.
The petition, which is now listed for next hearing in April, talks about the failure of the Road Transport Ministry to enforce mandates ensuring functional and digital accessibility for all cab aggregators.
The court had previously issued notice to relevant authorities, including the Union Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, and Roppen Transportation Services (owner of Rapido).
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