BENGALURU: The state government has asked the Transport Department to consider the views of cab aggregators before finalising the minimum fare for taxis.
“We want to incorporate the suggestions of stakeholders, including cab aggregators, before fixing the minimum fare for taxis. We will finalise it next week,” said K Beeresh, under-secretary, Transport Department.
The department recently recommended that the government fix a minimum fare of `10 per km for non-A/C cabs and `12 per km for A/C cabs. The decision came after cab drivers affiliated to Ola and Uber protested against low incentives and wages.
However, many commuters complain that there is no need for a minimum fare as it will only increase the cost of commute.
They say taxi aggregators including Ola and Uber charge as low as `6 per km and the proposed move to have a minimum fare of `12 per km for A/C cabs will only increase the rates. The government has already fixed a maximum fare of `14.50 per km for non-A/C taxis and `19.50 per km for A/C cabs.
“It’s unfair to fix a minimum fare for taxis. Why should government stop Ola and Uber from offering discounts to commuters?” asked K Ashraf, a regular cab user. He says a majority of autos in the city refuse to ply by meter and BMTC bus fares are high. “We are able to travel in A/C cabs at cheap rate because of the competition.” he felt.
Additional Commissioner for Transport H G Kumar said, “Cab aggregators are charging a base fare plus `6 per km, `1 per minute along with service charge which comes to around `12 per km even though they claim to be plying for `6 per km”. He says minimum charge for cabs will ensure substantial income for drivers and prevent exploitation from cab companies.
When contacted, Ola and Uber were unavailable for comment.
Another regular cab user, Anitha S, said, “Ola and Uber played a vital role in making cab rides affordable for everyone. If the government is going to fix `12 per km for A/C cabs, then I may have to look for alternatives.”
Ola TaxiForSure and Uber Drivers’ Association president Tanveer Pasha says the government’s move to fix minimum charge is an eyewash. “If the government is sincere in providing relief to cab drivers, then they should have fixed `17 per km for A/C cabs as minimum fare. If the maximum fare for A/C cabs is `19.5 per km, then why is the minimum fare for non-A/C cabs fixed at `12 per km, which is less than the autorickshaw fare?” he questioned.
He said they will launch an app for their divers with the help of former chief minister H D Kumaraswamy. “Our drivers will ply according to the government-fixed fare without any hidden charges,” Pasha added.
However, there is no clarity on whether the minimum charge is paid to the driver or cab operator.
For instance, government fixed autorickshaw fare at `25 for the first 1.9 km and `13 for every additional km. However, Ola Auto plies for a fixed rate of `29 for 4 km.
It is also not clear whether the minimum charge applies for share cab services too.