InDrive defends itself against “false accusations” and claims that 99.9% of trips were without incident

Global ride-sharing service inDrive has defended itself against alleged “false allegations” over the past few days regarding its operations, assuring that thanks to real-time AI-powered facial recognition and other safety features, 99.9 percent of inDrive rides in Jamaica are incident-free.

In a statement to the Jamaica Observer Responding to questions from the news channel, Yusuf Laroussi, senior vice president of global communications consultancy another, inDrive’s agency in the region, said inDrive “felt it was important to cover these events with facts and not mere speculation.”

Regarding safety concerns and the method of recruiting drivers, inDrive stated, “One of our safety features, which includes enhanced user verification upon registration – where drivers are not allowed to join the platform without all required documentation being approved – has already reduced the accident rate by 50 percent.”

“When it comes to safety, our mission couldn’t be clearer: we want zero incidents and we continue to work tirelessly toward that goal by collaborating with both platform functions, partnering with third-party institutions, and working with authorities to eradicate this problem that affects our entire industry,” the ride-sharing company added.

InDrive’s defence came after days of speculation that a driver linked to the platform is the suspect now in police custody in connection with the murder and kidnapping of St Catherine educator Danielle Anglin, who has been missing since Monday, May 13. Anglin, police said, left her home in Hellshire Park in St Catherine to work at St Peter Claver Primary and Infant School in St Andrew, but never arrived. Skeletal remains believed to be hers were found in Salt River, Clarendon, a good 37 kilometres from Anglin’s home, on Monday, June 3. According to police, the suspect, a convicted sex offender, has admitted his involvement in her disappearance. They further said cyber forensics and information from the national video surveillance programme JamaicaEye helped them track down the man, whose name has not yet been released.

On Friday, Transport Minister Daryl Vaz said telecommunications companies had refused to enforce the proposed ban on ride-sharing apps.

Due to this situation, Transport Minister Daryl Vaz announced on Tuesday, June 4, that he had recommended that the island’s telecommunications companies ban all ride-sharing apps operating here until a legal framework is put in place.

“I want to explain that this matter is not a result of the incident. My recommendation today, which of course needs to be reviewed for legal reasons, is an immediate ban on all ride-sharing apps until we sit down at the negotiating table and find an appropriate regulation for these apps to ensure that safety and background checks on drivers are carried out not only by the apps but also by the Jamaican authorities – and I make no apologies for that,” he said at the time.

Vaz said the government has been trying to get ride-sharing operators – both international and local – to streamline their operations under the regulations, while highlighting inDrive as the only ride-sharing company that has not agreed to the talks despite the government’s invitation.

“InDrive is not yet finalised. I would point out that in addition to the government’s security concerns in this environment, there are also issues related to undercutting the market when lower fares are charged – and that has implications for tourism, the economy in general and the risk of other problems such as money laundering and terrorism,” Vaz told the House of Representatives.

Fitz Bailey, deputy commissioner of police in charge of crime, later described the ride-sharing companies as a thorn in the side of investigators because they rely on in-app communications and have no physical bases. He said police had received no assistance from the ride-sharing organisation in solving the teacher’s disappearance.

But inDrive defended itself regarding these statements and “to ensure complete transparency” and told the observer that “as soon as the support team became aware of the case, it initiated the internal protocol for an immediate response and provided an official response to the authorities’ request within 24 hours.”

Regarding Anglin, it was said that she had recently in the drive on May 11, 2024, two days before her disappearance.

“The relevant authorities have come forward and provided us with the name of the main suspect who is currently under investigation,” inDrive said. “We can confirm that we do not have any user registered on the platform that matches the name, phone number or email account of the main suspect that the authorities have provided us with. We are currently working with the authorities to investigate this matter and at this time we can confirm that the incident did not occur on our platform. We will continue to work closely with the authorities to ensure that justice is served in this case and any (other) potential (in the) future,” it said to the Observer.

InDrive also said it extends its condolences to Anglin’s friends and family and is “already in contact with them to provide them with the necessary support.”

In the meantime, a peace offer was made to the Jamaican authorities.

“We understand that this incident has sparked significant debate with the government about ride-hailing platforms, and at inDrive we take our responsibility seriously. We have been speaking with the relevant authorities over the past few weeks to jointly develop initiatives to eradicate assaults and violence against drivers and passengers in all modes of transport,” it said.

“We believe the initiative to ban RH apps is counterproductive and deeply concerning as it undermines the rights of thousands of Jamaicans who rely on digital mobility alternatives and exposes them to unnecessary risks. This ban would not only be extremely detrimental to passengers, but would also destroy the economies of families whose livelihoods depend on these platforms,” ​​the organization further stated.

“We call on the Jamaican authorities to sit down with us and other industry players where we can all have a constructive dialogue with one main goal: ensuring that safe and reliable transportation options are available to Jamaicans without jeopardizing the income sources of thousands of families across the country,” inDrive added.

The operators of the ride-hailing service responded in a subsequent reply to the observersaid it would also comment on Friday’s developments, in which Vaz suggested that telecoms companies had refused to enforce the proposed ban on ride-sharing apps.

InDrive has been operating in Jamaica since 2022.