The Delhi High Court has reportedly reprimanded ride-hailing company Rapido for not ensuring sufficient accessibility of its app for persons with disabilities.
According to NDTV, the court warned Rapido that it must enhance the platform’s accessibility within four months or face the possibility of ceasing operations in India. This warning was issued during a hearing of a petition filed by a visually impaired individual, where the court questioned how the app was allowed to operate despite not complying with existing accessibility laws.
Additionally, the High Court directed the joint secretary from the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) to provide an explanation on the matter. The official was also instructed to be present at the next hearing and present the measures taken by the ministry to ensure ride-hailing services adhere to accessibility guidelines.
During the hearing, the petitioners’ counsel, Rahul Bajaj, informed the court that Rapido had submitted an accessibility audit report. Bajaj stated that the report identified 81 major accessibility failures in the app for specially-abled individuals.
“The report highlighted 170 accessibility errors at the base level of WCAG Level A. Additionally, it identified 81 significant failures in the app’s accessibility, according to Rapido’s own audit. This is apart from the concerns raised by disabled users, which we have also documented,” he added.
The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) Level A establishes the fundamental requirements for ensuring digital accessibility for individuals with disabilities.
This development follows a previous directive from the Delhi High Court, issued six months ago, requiring Rapido to submit a compliance report from an approved access auditor regarding its app’s accessibility for persons with disabilities.
The directive was in response to a petition filed by accessibility advocate Amar Jain and visually impaired banker Dipto Ghosh Choudhary, who argued that Rapido’s app fails to meet the needs of disabled users. The petitioners further claimed that certain app features make screen-reading software difficult to use, rendering it “significantly unusable” for specially-abled individuals.
Rapido had earlier admitted to accessibility shortcomings in its app and assured that it would update the platform to comply with the accessibility standards outlined in the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016.
This legal challenge comes months after Rapido achieved unicorn status in August 2024, following a $120 million funding round led by WestBridge Capital.
Founded in 2015 by Rishikesh SR, Pavan Guntupalli, and Aravind Sanka, Rapido provides bike taxi and cab services, along with peer-to-peer delivery solutions under its Rapido Local service.
On the financial front, the company’s net loss surged by over 50% in FY23, reaching ₹674.5 crore compared to ₹439 crore in the previous fiscal year. Meanwhile, its operating revenue jumped to ₹443 crore in FY23 from ₹144.8 crore in FY22.
