Uniform cab fares: A welcome move, but unions, experts point out 'flaws'

Chandra Prabhu | NT

Bengaluru: On February 3, a uniform fare for all cabs was announced, a first for Karnataka.

This revision, which is based on the cost of the vehicle, received a mixed bag of responses.

While the move has been hailed by some, others feel that the categories need to be checked again. Lack of awareness, especially amongst drivers, is also there.

Commuters have their own worries, before turning their attention towards government schemes. News Trail spoke to a few stakeholders on this matter.

Unions’ take

Nataraj Sharma, president of the Karnataka State Private Transport Associations had questioned the basis of the fare division.

“Although the move is much needed, fares based on the vehicle's cost are flawed. Say, one has a Hatchback car worth Rs. 5 lakh, and another has a premium model of it, for Rs. 15 lakh, the latter would obviously be the loser because people prefer the wallet friendly option,” he explained, pointing out ‘cut throat competition’ will prevail under this basis.

Sharma put forth a ‘class based categorisation’ of fares. “Vehicles in ride hailing apps like Ola and Uber are classified based on their class (Hatchback, Sedan and Sport Utility Vehicle [SUV]), A revision of the announcement on this basis will be most welcome,” he ended.

Jayanna, president of drivers union ‘Bharat Transport Association Groups’ claimed that drivers working for app aggregators work beyond the stipulated hours prescribed in the Motor Transport Workers Act, 1961.

“These drivers earn much less than the hours they put in, as these companies take the lion’s share of each fare,” he remarked.

Experts’ take

Professor M N Srihari, government advisor on traffic, transportation and infrastructure and mobility expert, had questioned the basis of the move.

“The government must have believed that vehicles are maintained well, it can be assumed. However, that is not the case here. Technical factors like the maintenance mileage and the engine performance are ignored,” he claimed.

Srihari also claimed that this move didn’t have a subject expert’s consultation.

Prompt maintenance, which results in smooth service was what the professor suggested to be a “scientific way,’ to set fares.

All the stakeholders' demands are to be considered carefully by the transport department of the government.