3 min readNew DelhiOct 25, 2012 01:19 AM IST
First published on: Oct 25, 2012 at 01:19 AM IST
The much-awaited biometric project to ensure safety of passengers — especially women travelling alone — hiring prepaid taxis in the city’s Indira Gandhi International Airport is expected to start next week.
After being in the pipeline for more than four years,the traffic police on Monday started a trial run at Terminal 3.
The trials at eight prepaid taxi counters,where cabbies were given biometric cards verified by the Delhi Police,have been a success,sources said.
The cards include important details about the driver — contact number,photograph,address and information about his driving licence and vehicle.
The driver will have to swipe the card on a machine to enter the prepaid lane. The machine will record the details on a central server and if the information matches with the database,he will be allowed in.
The project was planned following a slew of complaints about passengers being harassed by taxi drivers at the airport. In fact,police have registered cases of unscrupulous drivers waylaying passengers at night and robbing them of their valuables.
An official said 2,500 taxis have been given biometric cards. Other than current details,the cards will have all necessary information about a driver’s background. “This will help keep drivers with criminal records off the airport,” he said.
The project was planned before the 2010 Commonwealth Games,but remained in the cold because of several faults in the system server.
These were rectified and the traffic police could do a test run. “We started the trials on Monday. So far,it is working well. The technical faults that delayed the project no longer exist. We expect the system to be in place soon. The trial run will continue this week. When we are sure that everything is in order,the system will restrict all blacklisted taxi drivers from entering the airport,” Joint Commissioner of Police (Traffic) Satyendra Garg said.
The system will record details of drivers and passengers. The moment a passenger is issued a booking slip at the counter,his name,passport number and address will be recorded on the server.
“Once the taxi leaves the bay,the driver will have to swipe his card again. The server will record the entry and exit timings of the taxi and details of the passenger travelling in that taxi. This way,we will have a record of who is travelling with which driver. In case of a mishap,it will be easier to trace the driver,” an official said.
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