HC seeks govts' response on PIL over Uber's mobile app

The Bombay High Court onWednesday sought the response from the Centre and theMaharashtra government to a PIL that raised concerns over thealleged lack of transparency in cab aggregator Uber's mobileapplication with regard to registration of complaints.

A division bench of Chief Justice Dipankar Datta andJustice G S Kulkarni was hearing a petition filed by advocateSavina Crasto, claiming that the companys mobile applicationhas no information pertaining to its contact details, whereinusers can register complaints.

''As an app-based operator, Uber is required to complywith the statutory obligation and is bound by the terms andconditions mentioned in the Advisory for Licensing, Complianceand Liability of On-Demand Information Technology basedtransportation aggregator operating in India,'' the plea said.

It added that as per the conditions, the company hasto mention either via its official website or on the mobileapp a customer service telephone number or an email address onwhich customers can lodge their complaints.

The plea further claimed that while there is amechanism in the Uber app to raise complaints, it onlyprovides a list of options, which the customer has to optfrom.

The bench, after hearing the plea on Wednesday, notedthat the petition raised an important issue and directed theUnion and the state government to respond to it and posted thematter for further hearing on February 10.