The Maharashtra City Taxi Rules 2016 have, predictably, set the cat among the pigeons that are cab aggregators.
While the state seems to have done a credible job of updating the archaic rules, certain grey areas remain. But it is not the grey that seems to be bothering the aggregators — it is what has been put in black and white that is giving the aggregators the jitters. While Uber has come out and said it in so many words, Ola has been strangely quiet. In a message to customers last week, Uber urged them to send a petition to the state protesting against the proposed permit and licence fees, mandatory minimum fares, and price restrictions (most likely a ban on surge pricing).
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The biggest bone of contention is the proposal to make the possession of a permit badge mandatory for drivers. There are only 38,000-odd going around in the city today and all of them are with traditional cab drivers. To get this badge, a driver must: be a domicile, have a commercial driving license, and display knowledge of Mumbai’s topography and local language.
Instead of whining about the government’s effort to regulate them, what aggregators should be fighting for — in tandem with traditional taxis — is the simplification of the process of issuing these badges.
Aggregators have always sworn by the ‘let the markets decide’ mantra. Take for instance their adamant stand on having surge pricing without wanting to explain how it works. Maharashtra’s new rules merely seem to be trying to keep regulations abreast of the times and level the playing field. Aggregators should realise they have to play by the same rules that apply to their competitors. And that customer is king. Black-and-yellows seem to have got the message. It is high time aggregators realised that, too.
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