Agence France-Presse

Despite a ban on Uber cabs in Delhi after the arrest of one of its drivers for rape, they can still be hired. A driver who responded to NDTV's call on Tuesday evening said the internet-based cab service has not informed anyone about the ban. ( Also read: Delhi Police Invites Complaints Against 'Rapist' Uber Driver When NDTV tried to call an Uber cab using its app, one driver said the company is banned, but the next driver agreed to come after initially refusing a ride to a different destination.The taxi that came was unmarked and untagged; it had no company logo."The company told us nothing. I called and asked whether I am supposed to continue working or not. They said it is up to you - if you think we have been banned then don't drive," the driver told the NDTV team. ( Read more... He also said the company never asked for a character certificate. "They asked me for a registration, driving licence, my phone number and took my photo," he said.The driver admitted that he could switch off the phone given to him by Uber anytime, which will make it difficult to track him. Asked about a GPS service, which was absent in the taxi in which a passenger was raped last week, the driver said, "We have it now, but on the phone. I haven't had it installed yet. No one asked me to."Uber, an online taxi hailing service, has been accused of hiring Shiv Kumar Yadav, the driver arrested for allegedly raping a passenger on Friday, without proper background checks. Multiple charges against Yadav, including two past rape cases, were overlooked. ( Read: A Week Ago, Woman Reported Uber Driver Shiv Kumar Yadav For 'Staring'

The case has directed the government's attention to smartphone-based "taxi aggregators" who offer web-app based services and do not follow the rules in place for radio taxi services. After Delhi, Hyderabad has also decided to ban the service. ( Read: Uber Cabs Banned in Hyderabad After Delhi Rape Home Minister Rajnath Singh had asked all states on Tuesday to stop internet-based cab services and go with only radio taxi services that are registered with the government.