Power of one

Just a Re 1 difference between minimum fare of regular and cool cabs from August 1

Just a Re 1 difference between minimum fare of regular and cool cabs from August 1

It's comfort for the classes and the masses. August 1 will bring regular and luxury air-conditioned cabs almost on par, as the difference in their minimum fare will just be Re 1.

The RTO has given its consent to hike the regular taxi tariff by Re 1 after the state government approved the demand of taxi unions due to rise in cost of CNG.

Which one will you choose? For the initial distance of 1.6 km, the fare of regular cabs has been hiked to Rs 14, while cool cabs will continue to ply at Rs 15.

Now, the minimum fare initial distance of 1.6 km is Rs 14 for regular cabs and Rs 9 for every subsequent km, while luxury cabs will continue to ply at Rs 15.

C S Sangitrao, principal secretary (transport), said, "Commuters must lodge a complaint if cabbies charge the hiked price before August 1.

Cabs will also be allowed to carry luggage up to 1.5 feet on its carrier after the hike."

Luxury cabs

No decision to revise the fares of private cabs has been taken.u00a0

Gavin Dabreo, vice president of MERU taxis, sales and marketing, said, "A fare hike is the decision of the transport department."

Mumbai has around 1,500 call cabs, while other cab services Forshe and Priyadarshini cater only to women.
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With the recent feud between private and prepaid taxi drivers at the Mumbai Airport, Dabreo added, "Let the choice be left to the customer," A frequent flyer, S Ganesh (30), said, "Private cabs are cleaner and their drivers provide better service."

Call Cabs Ka Funda

A call taxi is fitted with a GPS tracking device that identifies the taxi stationed closest to a customer's pick-up location.

It is also fitted with a tamper-proof digital meter and data on its location and fare details of every cab are recorded. Customers are given a printed receipt when the journey ends.