When the fare of black and yellow taxis and auto rickshaws is already higher than the mobile aggregators, they have asked for a Rs 2 and Rs 1 hike on basic fare respectively
Desperate times call for desperate measures and unions of auto rickshaws and black and yellow taxis just made it their motto. They asked for basic fare hike while the passengers opting for them are decreasing by the day. The auto union has demanded a Rs 2 hike, while the taxi union has asked for a raise of Rs 1 on the basic fare.
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In the last year or so, the number of black and yellow taxis has come down by around 4,000. File pic
In the last year or so, the daily average number of passengers using black and yellow taxis and autos together has gone down from 55 lakh to around 48 lakh. “The demand for auto rickshaws will always be there and so we have asked for a fare hike. This is as per the suggestions made by the Hakim Committee where every May, annual calculations are made,” said Shashank Rao, president, Mumbai Auto and Taximen’s Union, and son of veteran union leader Sharad Rao. With the basic fare of a black and yellow cab being Rs 22 and Rs 14.84 per kilometer after that, the hike would take the basic fare to Rs 23. Sources in the Regional Transport Office (RTO) said that many taxi drivers who come to their office do complain about the dropping business due to the hike and that any further hike will be detrimental.
Currently, there are around 32,000 black and yellow cabs on road that have come down from around 36,000 a year or so back. On the other hand, the auto rickshaws have demanded a hike of Rs 2 on the basic fare that would take the minimum fare to Rs 20 when the per kilomtre fare after that would stay at Rs 12.19. At present there are close to 96,000 auto rickshaws, which too has come down from 1.04 lakh.
Fare calculation parameters
>> Fare calculations are being made as per Hakim panel formula derived in 2012
>> According to Hakim panel, the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Transport Authority should review taxi and auto rickshaw fares annually
>> If the cost incurred by the auto and taxi permit holders is more than 50 paise per kilometre then the hike should be granted
21,000
The number of tourist taxis, which mostly ply for Uber or Ola, that were registered in 2015-16. Before the mobile aggregators, the number used to barely touch 4,000 every year.
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