NEW DELHI: Terming surge pricing by app-based taxi operators “daylight robbery”, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal declared Wednesday that overcharging and blackmailing would not be allowed in the national capital. “Surge pricing is daylight robbery. No responsible government can allow that,” he tweeted and announced his government’s ban on the practice would continue.
“Some taxis (are) saying they will not provide cabs if they are not allowed to loot. This is open blackmailing and govt will not let that happen. Overcharging, diesel cars, drivers without licence/badges and blackmailing by taxi aggregators won’t be allowed,” he asserted in a series of tweets. After Uber blamed the Delhi government for taxi shortage in the city, Kejriwal clarified his government was not opposed to app-based cab services but insisted “they will have to follow the law.”
Surge pricing – hiking the fare during peak hours – is a technique used by Uber and Ola to provide drivers an incentive as well as make profits. Kejriwal also alleged that a media house “supporting” the surge pricing had invested `150 crore in one of the taxi aggregators. However, he did not name the media house or the aggregator.
The government impounded 50 cabs for overcharging till Wednesday afternoon. Thirty-five of those 50 cabs were registered outside the national capital.