Drivers of app-based taxis in Maharashtra implement govt-notified fare

Cab drivers in Maharashtra affiliated to ride-hailing platforms such as Ola, Uber and Rapido from Tuesday started charging passengers as per the new government-notified fares, which are quite higher than regular fares, their union claimed.

Dr Keshav Nana Kshirsagar, president of the Bharatiya Gig Kamgar Manch, said the cab drivers decided to implement the official tariff on their own, as aggregator companies failed to comply with the directive issued by assistant transport commissioner Bharat Kalaskar, secretary of the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Transport Authority (MMRTA).

Drivers of hatchbacks like WagonR are now charging Rs 28 per kilometre, those of sedans like Swift Dzire are charging Rs 31 per kilometre, and drivers of SUVs like Ertiga are charging Rs 34 per kilometre, Kshirsagar said. To ensure transparency, they have launched a website -- www.onlymeter.in -- where the official fare table has been displayed, he said.

The Regional Transport Authority (RTA) for Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR) had written a letter to the three app-based taxi and auto rickshaw aggregators -- Ola, Uber and Rapido -- last week, directing them to follow Black-and-Yellow cab fares until the state decides on separate rates for app-based cabs, from September 18. As per the MMRTA letter dated September 16, the existing fare of Black and Yellow taxis is Rs 20.66 per km for non-AC and Rs 22.72 per km with AC, and these base rates will be applicable until the fares for app-based taxis and auto rickshaws are finalised. The decision of the union of app-based cabs to charge govt-notified fares made rides costlier for commuters, as earlier they were offering rides at a base fare of Rs 15-16 for small cabs.

Some cabbies, however, claimed that they continue to charge the fare shown in the aggregators apps. The Maharashtra Gig Kamgar Manch has demanded a rationalisation of fares, bringing them on par with those of the conventional 'Black & Yellow' metered cabs, prohibition of bike taxis, a cap on permits of Black and Yellow cabs and auto rickshaws, formation of a welfare board for drivers of app-based cabs, and enactment of the 'Maharashtra Gig Workers' Act' on the lines of other states. Kshirsagar claimed that the state transport department has issued provisional licences to the companies against whom it had registered FIRs for operating illegal bike taxis, alleging that these licences are being misused by operating white number plate bikes running on petrol instead of e-bikes registered in transport category. "Instead of blacklisting these companies, the government has extended one-month provisional licences, giving them red-carpet treatment," Kshirsagar said. Maharashtra's transport commissioner Vivek Bhimanwar and additional transport commissioner Kalaskar did not respond to the calls and messages seeking their comments.