The Transport commissioner THM Kumar has said that the licence has been granted to the aggregators to run only taxis and not autos as per the Karnataka On-Demand Transportation Technology Aggregators Rules, 2016.
The Karnataka Transport Department on 6 September issued a notice to stop Ola, Uber and Rapido autos in Bengaluru in the next three days. The notice comes after commuters registered complaints with the transport department stating that Ola, Uber charges ₹100 even for a distance below 2 kilometres.
Within three days, Ola, Uber, rapido auto-rickshaws services in Karnataka will be discontinued. This is following to the order passed by the Karnataka transport department on Thursday calling autos services provided by these ride-hailing platform companies “Illegal”
The department has called the auto services run by the cab aggregators ‘Illegal’ under On-Demand Transportation Technology Act 2016. The vehicle aggregators have been directed to submit a report.
According to the transport department several commuters registered complaints with the transport department over Ola and Uber charging a minimum of Rs 100 even if the distance is below two kilometres. The minimum auto fare in Bengaluru is fixed at Rs 30 for the first 2 km and Rs 15 for every kilometre thereafter.
Meanwhile, Transport commissioner THM Kumar has said they have granted licence to these firms under the Karnataka On-Demand Transportation Technology Aggregators Rules, 2016, to run only taxis. The rules do not apply to autos. “Taxis means a motor cab having a seating capacity not exceeding six passengers, excluding the driver,” he added.
cab aggregators (CAs) like Ola, Uber, and Meru to formulate clear and transparent policies with The Competition Commission of India (CCI) had also issued warning on September 9 and asked the Indian respect to the sharing of revenue on account of surge pricing between the drivers and the CAs.
The departme”t’s notice, ride-hailing companies have to stop their auto services at the earliest and also not to charge passengers in taxis more than the fare prescribed by the government. The department also warned of legal action if they fail to comply with the order.
“The aggregators are providing autorickshaw services in violation of the above regulations. Also, it has come to the notice of the department that customers are being charged higher rates than the rates fixed by the government,” the letter added.
L Hemanth Kumar, additional commissioner for transport and secretary, State Transport Authority, echoed the same saying, “They are not supposed to run auto rickshaws with a cab-aggregator licence.” Aggregator rules are only for cabs. We’ve asked them to stop auto rickshaws services through the app and submit a report,” he added.
Uber, Ola rides are not so cool anymore
While Ola and Uber have revised their fares by 10-15 percent on an average, the “No AC” campaign of cabbies is making users sweat further. Drivers of these two brands have started demanding Rs 50-100 extra for an air-conditioned ride.
In Delhi, drivers went on a day’s strike recently and have threatened to go on an indefinite one beginning April 18 in the NCR region if CNG prices are not reduced. Users are swarming across Twitter to express their displeasure. “Is it time for a horse-drawn Ola and Uber Tonga to make a comeback?”
Delhi auto rickshaw drivers are also clamouring for a price revision. Down south, the Telangana Gig and Platform Workers Union are demanding an increase in fare hikes and said they will also join the ‘No AC’ campaign in Hyderabad.
For instance, the rates in the “mini” category in Ola will go up to Rs 11/km from the current Rs 9.5/km. Also the rate after 18 km has been revised up to Rs 12.60 per km from Rs 11.80. Ola Prime rates have also been revised to Rs 14.25 from Rs13 per km. “Our request is not to switch off the air-conditioning unless a customer asks for it,” Ola said in its communiqué to its driver partners.
CNG in Nagpur is the costliest across the country at Rs 111.50 per kg, followed by Gurugram (Rs 76.34), Noida, Greater Noida and Ghaziabad. Mumbai, in contrast, is Rs 67 but this is of little consolation to the driver community.
