Uber Cannot Operate Without Licence, Says Delhi Government

A day after US-based taxi booking firm Uber announced resumption of services in the city, the Delhi Government Friday said the company cannot operate as the ban imposed on it last month has not been revoked.

Sources said Delhi Government will consider it "totally illegal" if Uber resumes its service without getting licence from the Transport Department.

Special Commissioner of Police (Traffic) Muktesh Chander said Uber cannot operate without getting the regulatory clearances from the concerned authorties.

"We will not allow Uber to operate in Delhi without obtaining licence from Delhi Government. We will prosecute them if they violate government order," he told PTI.

Uber has said it restarted services in the national capital and is hiring drivers cleared by police and that it seeks a licence as radio taxi operator.

"As we resume operations in Delhi, we are only allowing driver-partners who have undergone re-verification of their police clearance in the last six weeks to get back on the platform," Uber said.

The international cab booking firm was banned by Delhi government last month following public outrage after one of its drivers allegedly raped a 26-year old executive.

Earlier this month, Delhi government had decided to continue with the ban on Uber and asked it to fulfil the conditions for taxi operations in the national capital before seeking revocation of punitive action.

Sources in Transport Departments said Resource Expert India Pvt Ltd, a subsidiary of Uber, applied for a licence to operate the app-based taxi booking service in Delhi.

Transport department maintained that Uber will have to fulfil the conditions laid down in recently modified radio taxi policy under which all taxi service providers must need to register themselves.

According to the transport department, all taxi aggregators, including app-based cab service providers, will have to register themselves with the department.

Delhi government had banned Uber on December 8.