Gujarat government lays down rules for radio cab operators

The Gujarat government today came out with the rules and regulations for national as well as international cab service providers operating in the state.
The government's move comes in the wake of the rape of a woman by the driver of a smartphone application-based taxi service in Delhi recently.
"These rules, however, will not be applicable to local taxi drivers," Gujarat Road Transport Minister Vijay Rupani said.
As per the new set of rules, each radio cab operator in Gujarat would have to register themselves with Regional Transport Offices (RTOs) to operate in the state.
"We have taken a serious note of Delhi's incident and laid down some rules for radio cab operators. From now onwards, they have to register themselves with RTO and acquire a permit from us. Separate registration of drviers is also compulsory for radio cab drivers. Local taxi drivers are exempted from these regulations," Rupani said.

Besides registration, police verification of drivers has also been made mandatory.

"For the safety of passengers, especially women, operators have been asked to intall Global Positioning Systems (GPS) in their taxis, so that we can trace their movements. In case of mid-way breakdowns, operators must provide alternate vehicle immediately. If they fail to do so, we will cancel their permit," Rupani said.
For enhanced safety of women passengers, cab operators have also been asked to display details on the back seat, so that passengers may read the information.
"Such information should include personal details of the driver such as his name, address, phone number and license number. It should also have a working number of the main operator along with the police emergency number. We have also barred taxis having tinted window panes," Rupani said.