NAMAKKAL: Singed by rising fuel cost and commission to app-based ride aggregators, auto and taxi drivers have appealed to the State government to launch an app that would be competitive and ensure them a minimum guarantee of rides every day.
General secretary of Tamil Nadu Auto Workers Federation (TNAWF) M Sivaji said, "App-based companies like Ola and Uber are dominating the industry despite not owning a single-vehicle. Auto and car owners who join them have to shell out 25 per cent of each fare as commission. With fuel price crossing Rs 100 a litre mark, several auto and car owners would struggle without the support of the app-based companies. At the same time, they can no longer afford to part with such a huge percentage."
"Considering the ground reality, the Kerala government is all set to launch an app for commercial vehicles in the State. We also petitioned the transport commissioner to come up with a similar initiative in Tamil Nadu. But we are yet to receive a reply," he added.
K Kannan, a taxi driver in Namakkal, said not even 10 per cent of taxis and cabs for tourists are operational in the district, despite tourism activities getting back to normalcy. "Most of the tourists have their own vehicles or book one through apps," he pointed out.
T Kannan, a Chennai-based auto driver and member of AITUC, said “in 2013, when petrol price was Rs 82.95 per litre, the state government fixed the minimum fare as Rs 25 for the first 1.8 km for autos and Rs 12 for every additional one km. between 11 pm to 5 am 50 per cent extra would be charged. This has not been revised. ” Also, the government did not announce tariff for app-based operators, he added. “As per an HC order, a meeting of auto owners associations, officials and consumer organizations should be conducted every three months to discuss tariff revision. The government has not convened a meeting till now” he added.
When contacted, a senior official in Transport Commissioner's office said, "As of now, we have no plans to develop an app for commercial vehicles in the State. Moreover, it is a matter of government's policy decision."
On tariff revision, he said, "We tried to convene the meeting, but most of the associations did not show interest in taking part."