Last night, news broke of a woman passenger allegedly raped by a Uber driver, in New Delhi. Hearing accounts of rape and violence against women is not new in this country, sadly, but what makes this even more shocking is the association with Uber, a disruptive mobile-first taxi platform that claims to have the “safest rides on the road“. According to the well-funded American startup’s website, safety is the second most important thing you need to know about them, right after the app, one of the most important user-facing features of their platform. For a company that prides itself on safety features, this is terrible news. Why and how did Uber let this happen? There are many answers to this question, but let’s give them a shot of reality first, with a warm message they can resonate with, “Welcome to India.”.
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