Delhi HC gives Rapido four months to make app “disabled friendly”
The court was hearing a petition by corporate lawyer and disability rights activist Amar Jain, urging Rapido to make its mobile ride app “disabled-friendly”
New Delhi: The Delhi High Court granted Rapido four months to make its mobile ride application “disabled friendly,” terming it’s failure as an “alarming state of affairs”.
The court was hearing a petition filed by corporate lawyer and disability rights activist Amar Jain, requesting that Rapido’s mobile ride application be made “disabled-friendly.”
A bench of justice Sachin Datta expressed displeasure after reviewing an accessibility audit report, which assessed various features, including colour contrast testing, evaluation with a talkback screen reader, zoom and resizing checks, and identified 207 accessibility issues in Rapido’s Android app, 81 of which were referred as “high impact”.
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“It is noticed that the above certificate reveals an alarming state of affairs in which as much as 207 accessibility issues have been identified in the Rapido Android App. Notably, 81 of these issues have been referred to as High Impact. It is evident that the application of respondent no 1 (Rapido) is far from being disabled friendly,” the court said in its March 19 order, released on Friday.
Rapido failed to address the accessibility needs of persons with disabilities (PwDs) due to operational flaws that make the app unusable for them, the plea said.
It further pointed out that the application also lacked an option for PwDs to communicate additional needs, such as requesting extra wait time or assistance with locating the pickup point when booking a ride.
Jain, represented by advocate Rahul Bajaj, urged the court to take stern action against the ride aggregator and impose a penalty under the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016.
Rapido, represented by advocate Vardhaman Kaushik, submitted that it would make its app disabled-friendly within four months and ensure it remains so as long as it is in operation.
In his four-page order, the court took Rapido’s statement on record and stated that any breach would be considered wilful disobedience.
Additionally, the court directed the union ministry of road transport and highways to file an affidavit outlining the regulatory mechanism in place to ensure that applications like Rapido comply with the necessary requirements for being disabled-friendly prior to their launch.
The matter will next be heard on August 13, 2025..
