Taxi-rickshaw fares to increase by Rs 3 from Mar 1 in Mumbai: Transport min

The minimum fare for Mumbai's

autorickshaws and taxis will be Rs 21 and Rs 25 respectively from March 1 after a hike of Rs 3 was approved on Monday, said Maharashtra Transport Minister Anil Parab.

The minimum fare over a distance of 1.5 kilometres for taxis will go up from Rs 22 to Rs 25, while that for the three-wheelers will rise from Rs 18 now to Rs 21, said RTO officials.

Beyond this flag down minimum distance, passengers will have to pay Rs 16.93 per kilometres for taxis and Rs 14.20 per kilometre for autorickshaws, they added.

The fare hike has been calculated as per the formula devised by the four-member Khatua panel, and it entails a hike per kilometre of Rs 2.09 for taxis and Rs 2.01 for autorickshaws, a Mumbai Metropolitan Region Transport Authority (MMRTA) member said.

The decision was taken in an MMRTA meeting chaired by the transport secretary on Monday, he added.

Parab said drivers, owners will have to recalibrate their electronic meters within a period of three months from March 1 to reflect the new fares.

The minister said a fare hike has been given to the autorickshaw and taxi sector in the metropolis after a gap of six years and "it was long overdue".

The last fare hike was implemented on June 1, 2015, officials pointed out.