Mumbai: Ambulances to now sport rate cards to check fleecing

Cops take action against erring ambulance drivers

Nearly a week after this newspaper exposed the murky business of ambulance operators charging exorbitantly to ferry Covid-19 patients or bodies of those felled by the Coronavirus, the transport department said on Tuesday that it would paste rate cards on ambulances and punish the violators.

The rate card has details of tariff per kilometre and as per the vehicle model. It also has the fine amount for violation on first and subsequent offences and details of the authorities who can be reached out to report overcharging.

The rate card that will be pasted on ambulances and in hospitals

On May 6, mid-day had front-paged a report highlighting the plight of families of Covid-19 victims. This newspaper had caught on camera ambulance operators demanding three to four times the actual rate to transport bodies or patients.

Also Read: mid-day investigation: Private ambulances in Mumbai triple their rates with increasing load of Covid-19 deaths

Officials said the rate cards will also be put up in hospitals. Along with this, the drivers and owners of ambulances are also being counselled about the rates and enforcement. The idea was initially started in Chandrapur and has now been replicated across the state.

"Yes, I have told all Regional Transport Offices in the state to follow this model," Transport Commissioner Avinash Dhakne told mid-day.

The minimum fare for a Maruti van ambulance will be Rs 800 for up to 25km and for a Tata Sumo or Matador, it would be Rs 900. For Swaraj Mazda or Tata 407 models, it would be Rs 1,200 and Rs 2,000 for AC and ICU-enabled ambulances.

Beyond 25 km, the rate for every subsequent km will be Rs 15 for Maruti vans and Tata Sumo or Matador models, Rs 18 for Swaraj Mazda or Tata 407 and Rs 25 for AC and ICU-enabled ambulances.

Those operators charging more than the rates mentioned in the rate card will be fined Rs 5,000 for the first time and the penalty will be raised to Rs 10,000 for the second offence. An FIR under the Disaster Management Act, 2005, will be registered for third and subsequent violations.