New Delhi:

App-based transport aggregator Rapido has got  a stern message from the Delhi High Court, which demanded that it improve accessibility for disabled persons and stop operations till that is done.

An internal audit has found 170 accessibility errors in the Rapido app. Rapido has been told that they should stop operating in the Indian market altogether till these issues are fixed.

The aggregator has been given four months to improve accessibility for disabled persons. They should pack up from India if they fail, the court said.

The court has also questioned how the app was allowed to function without complying with existing law and the Joint Secretary of the Road and Transport ministry has been asked to provide an explanation.

He has been asked to be present on the next date of hearing and mention the steps they are taking to ensure that transport apps are checked for accessibility at the time of their release.

The court’s order came following a petition by two visually impaired persons.

Rahul Bajaj, the advocate appearing on behalf of petitioner, told NDTV that Rapido provided a summary of an accessibility audit report which they claim they received yesterday night.

“That report showed that there are 170 accessibility errors in the platform at the base level of WCAG level A. It also showed 81 major failures in the accessibility of the app, and this is as per their own audit. Quite apart from the concerns that we got from disabled users which we were also carrying,” Mr Bajaj said.

Rapido had argued that they are a small start-up in India and do not have the funds for this. The court dismissed the argument.