KOCHI: With renting cars increasingly becoming a trend, especially among NRIs who visit Kerala for vacations, the sector has now become a breeding ground for illegal rent-a-car companies. This was highlighted by the All Kerala Rent-A-Cab Association (RCA).
A grave accusation made by the association is that the sector has been hijacked by pawnbrokers who rent the cars pawned with them for lower charges, and that too without proper documentation -- such as licence, permits, and insurances.
As per the data provided by the RCA, there are altogether around 2,500 cabs operated by 11 legal rent-a-cab companies as against around 25,000 owned by the illegal ones.
Sanu Jose, secretary of RCA, told TNIE that the situation is very grave since the lack of proper documentation provides a good cover for anyone wanting to make use of the cars for any illegal activity.
“As per the rules, the operators of the cars that are given for rent need to have an All India Permit (AIP) and must run a minimum fleet of 50 vehicles. Of course, these illegal companies do have more than 50 cars, but whether they have an all-India permit is the question. If the Motor Vehicle Department (MVD) conducts a check, it will find that these companies don’t have any,” said Sanu.
Pointing out another infraction committed by the illegal rent-a-car companies, the association secretary said, “As per the MVD rules, advertising or operating illegally through unauthorised apps can lead to severe penalties. But these companies make use of Facebook and other social media platforms to promote their services.” He added that these companies also don’t insure the vehicles or the renter.