Uber CEO expresses horror, deflects blame in Delhi rape case

An Uber taxi driver will appear in court on Monday accused of raping a young female passenger, as the popular US online ride-hailing service comes under fire for hiring a man who was arrested for a sexual assault three years ago.

With background checks or vetting of drivers; no way to see whether the registered driver is driving the cab, Uber is under a lot of fire for putting safety of its passengers at risk. Police have said they were considering legal action against the online taxi service for failing to run background checks amid reports the government may cancel the company’s license to operate in New Delhi, where the alleged attack took place.

“Every violation by Uber will be evaluated and we will go for legal recourse,” said Madhur Verma, deputy commissioner with the Delhi police.

Uber said in a statement on Sunday that safety is its first priority and it was continuing to assist police.

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“This is an abhorrent crime,” Uber said. “Our thoughts remain with the victim who has shown tremendous courage under the circumstances.

Below is the full statement of Uber CEO Travis Kalanick:

What happened over the weekend in New Delhi is horrific. Our entire team’s hearts go out to the victim of this despicable crime. We will do everything, I repeat, everything to help bring this perpetrator to justice and to support the victim and her family in her recovery.

We will work with the government to establish clear background checks currently absent in their commercial transportation licensing programs. We will also partner closely with the groups who are leading the way on women’s safety here in New Delhi and around the country and invest in technology advances to help make New Delhi a safer city for women.

Uber has not commented yet on whether it was aware of an earlier case against the driver.

It has also been served a legal notice by the police today to join the investigation. Sources say if the investigation reveals that Uber did not follow the required processes in checking the record of the driver, it’s likely to face a case of criminal culpability.

“Every violation by Uber will be evaluated and we will go for legal recourse,” said Deputy Commissioner of Delhi Police Madhur Verma,adding that the police would take legal advice before opting to press a criminal or civil case.

In the past, questions have also been raised over the cab company’s misusing private location information of its customers. In fact, just two days prior to the Delhi incident, the Uber CEO had acknowledged the company’s “significant growing pains” and mentioned that “we also need to invest in internal growth and change,” in a blog post.

“The events of the recent weeks have shown us that we also need to invest in internal growth and change,” he wrote. “Acknowledging mistakes and learning from them are the first steps.”

Uber triggered a wave of criticism recently after a top executive suggested spending $1 million to dig up dirt on a journalist critical of the driver-on-demand company.

It was not the first time Uber has been called out for actions by its drivers or its corporate culture. It is investigating one of its employees for tracking another journalist’s ride, which has raised fears that Uber is misusing customers’ private location information.