Transport Department has given the responsibility to a committee under former Transport Commissioner BC Khatua
Representation pic
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The rates charged by the Mumbai's taxi services like Ola, Uber and kaali-peelis and auto-rickshaws as well, have long been a serious bone of contention. Even though the City Taxi Rules 2016 was drafted by the Central Government in November, its implementation in the state will take some time. Reason: The Maharashtra Transport Department has given the responsibility of deciding the maximum and minimum fares of the services to a committee formed under former Transport Commissioner BC Khatua. The committee is expected to submit its report by March 2017.
No more over-charging
Speaking to mid-day, Transport Commissioner Praveen Gedam said, “The Khatua Committee is expected to decide the tariffs of the mobile aggregators soon. Officials from the Transport Department said that the committee would decide the minimum and maximum fares that the mobile aggregators can charge. They said that as per the City Taxi Rules 2016, the maximum fare per kilometer could be three times the base fare during the day and four times during the night. This would help eliminate the practice of charging up to five times of the base fare during peak hours, they added.
Sources said that at present, the minimum fare charged by the mobile aggregators is something between Rs6-8 kilometre, but it can change depending on what the committee decides. They also mentioned that the committee is expected to submit its report by March 2017.
Decision on other aspects
Officials at the RTO said that the Transport Department would also decide on some other aspects of the City Taxi Rules, 2016. These include uniform for drivers, time schedule for those driving the mobile aggregators and kaali-peelis and whether the permit cost for vehicles above 1,400CC would be Rs 2.61 lakh.
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