Bengaluru: Cab and autorickshaw drivers held a protest against the plying of bike taxis on July 4. The demand for ‘One city, one cab fare’ was raised again. This will benefit cab drivers’ and customers, say cab associations.
In February, the transport department announced fixed rates for cabs (see box). City cab unions and organisations are pushing for the regulation to be put into effect immediately.
Despite the announcement being made months back, they have not been implemented by Ola or Uber or other aggregators, says Tanveer Pasha, president of Ola Uber Drivers’ and Owners’ Association. “If such a rule comes in, it will kill competitive pricing among cab companies, and will protect the drivers as they can earn an assured amount of money,” he adds.
There will be more cabs available on the road if the rates are fixed, notes Pasha. “With surcharges gone, a fair rate will be paid to the drivers, they will be able to plan rides according to their schedules, and cover all routes.” The fixed rates will also help avoid clashes between customers and drivers, he says.
C Sampath, general secretary of the Adarsha Auto and Taxi Drivers’ Union, says that the exorbitant commission aggregators charge will be gone with such a move. “Customers will also not have to pay extra charges,” he adds.
All cab aggregators ply by different rates. They also have “different rates for the same route at different times”, observes S Nataraj Sharma of Federation of Karnataka State Private Transport Association. “Adopting the rates will not only help car owners but also customers as surcharges exist now. These surcharges are artificially created by aggregators saying that there is an excessive demand due to rains or peak hours (9 am-11 am and 5 pm-9 pm),” he says. Sharma points out that many malpractices can also be avoided.
Namma Yatri, a community initiative that started off with auto services and expanded to cab services in April, plies with fares based on the new rates suggested by the transport department. Their cabs run on a base fare of Rs 100 and Rs 24 per km, with a 10% surcharge at night. Durga Gowda, head of the cab wing of Namma Yatri, says that when cabs can ply by fixed rates in places like Mumbai and Kerala, there should be parametres for cabs in Bengaluru too. “When autorickshaws are expected to function on fixed rates, why not cabs?” he asks.
New rates
In February, the transport department came out with revised fares for taxis operated by platforms like Ola, Uber, and other conventional taxi operators. The fares were now classified into three categories, based on the cost of the vehicles. For vehicles costing up to Rs 10 lakh, the base fare is Rs 100 (for the first 4 km), with Rs 24/km thereafter. For vehicles costing between Rs 10 to 15 lakh, the base fare is Rs 115, followed by Rs 28/km. Vehicles costing Rs 15 lakh and above, will charge a base fare of Rs 130, followed by Rs 32/km. A 10% hike above the fare can be charged during the wee hours (12 am to 6 am).