Cab drivers demand subsidised fuel, streamlining fare fixation process

Drivers of cabs and tourist taxis staged a protest at Jantar Mantar here to demand removal of MCD toll tax and streamlining the process of fixing fares by app-based taxi services Uber and Ola

Drivers of cabs and tourist taxis staged a protest at Jantar Mantar here on Monday to demand removal of MCD toll tax and streamlining the process of fixing fares by app-based taxi services Uber and Ola.

Scores of drivers of tourist taxis, Ola, Uber cabs and three-wheelers participated in the protest at Jantar Mantar.

The protesters demanded that the MCD toll tax, which is realised from commercial vehicles while entering Delhi from NCR towns, should not be taken from taxis and cabs.

They also alleged that online cab aggregators pay small share of the fare to drivers which should be streamlined.

"The government should intervene in rate fixation as online cab aggregators arbitrarily fix fares and then pay a small amount to drives. For instance, if the fare is Rs 100, then drivers get only Rs 30 while the rest is kept by the aggregator.

"This practice should be streamlined," Convenor, Sanyukta Sangharsh Samiti, Indrajeet Singh told PTI.

Singh also said the government should provide CNG and fossil fuel on subsidised rates to the cab and taxi drivers on the lines of benefits given to other industries.

"Cab and taxi drivers are badly hit by the pandemic and the industry is still reviving. So the government should help them by providing fuel at subsidised rates," he said.