The Delhi High Court (HC) has asked ride-hailing unicorn Rapido to submit a compliance report on the accessibility of its app for persons with disability (PwD). This is as per a report by Inc42.
The high court has also reportedly requested the company to submit an audit report from an "access auditor" empanelled with the Department of Empowerment of PwD under the Ministry of Empowerment by November 28.
The order reportedly was passed by Judge Sanjeev Narula while hearing a writ petition filed by activist Amar Jain and visually impaired banked Dipto Ghosh Choudhary against Rapdio, raising concerns over its accessibility for the differently abled people.
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In a post on LinkedIn, Jain, who heads ‘Mission Accessibility’, a non-profit organisation, said that the order will help address the gaps in accessibility for PwD while availing ride-hailing services.
“We trust that this continued legal intervention would help us plug the gaps of disability inclusion in aggregator based transportation in the country and Rapido would become another good example in this space just like Namma Yatri,” he said, reported Inc42..
The petition filed in the High court reportedly stated that the app fails to take into account the needs of disabled individuals and the app also falls short in certain features in terms of compatibility with software which increases accessibility, such as screen reading software, rendering the app "significantly unusable" by PwD.
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Rapido responding to the petition said that it acknowledged the accessibility issues and that it would update its app within 6-8 months to comply with accessibility standards under the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016.
The ride-hailing platform also stated that it would introduce a training program for its captains and staff to ensure they can provide supportive and accommodating services to PwD. It will also look to develop a feedback mechanism to acknowledge and address the concerns of PwD.
“This initiative includes training on sensitivity, awareness, and the specific needs of persons with disabilities, as mandated under Section 47 of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016 (RPWD Act),” the startup reportedly said as per Inc42.
