Uber India and Transport Ministry to hold free medical check-ups of over 4.5 lakh driver partners
April 26, 2018: Uber, the world’s largest on-demand ride-sharing company marked the 29th National Road Safety Week by announcing a slew of initiatives for driver partners, to spread road safety awareness. Reiterating its commitment to the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, Uber will conduct free medical and eye check-ups for over 4.5 lakh driver partners over the next 6 months in-line with this year’s theme of ‘Sadak Suraksha – Jeevan Raksha’
Speaking on the launch of its initiative, Shri Nitin Gadkari, Hon’ble Minister for Road Transport & Highways pointed out, “Ensuring road safety is a key priority for the government and we are committed to reducing fatal road accidents by 50 percent by 2020. The endeavour to make our roads safer has to be a collaborative multi-pronged initiative that needs joint action from policymakers, civic authorities, companies such as Uber and commuters in general.”
Reinforcing Uber’s commitment towards road safety awareness, Pradeep Parameswaran, Head, Operations, Uber India & South Asia said, “Safety is an on-going endeavour and we work tirelessly towards that goal. We are proud to be a part of the Ministry’s effort to curb road accidents and fatalities on Indian roads which constitutes to nearly 5 million annually. Taking our collaboration, a step ahead, we aim to create a comprehensive safety ecosystem for our driver partners. We believe improving driver wellness and health is critical to making our roads safer as well as ensuring a comfortable driving experience. By rolling out free medical check-ups, for driver partners, we hope to strengthen existing efforts towards improving driver well-being.”
India accounts for 12.5% of global road accidents, with 55 accidents and 17 deaths occurring every hour. In 2016 alone, 68% victims in road mishaps were between the age group of 18-45 years and almost 97% of the road accidents are caused by negligent driving including drunken driving. It, therefore, becomes imperative to spread awareness against the menace of driving under influence. Consistent with their partnership with MoRTH, Uber also unveiled an impactful public interest campaign on ‘Don’t Drink and Drive’ which will be showcased on various social media platforms.
