If you feel your ride with a cab aggregator has been overcharged, you now have means to report. With cases of overcharging in the name of surge pricing coming up, the Transport Department has set up dedicated helplines for you to report.
The department has asked victims to lodge complaints by calls or emails ( see graphics ). “However, it is important that they also share the registration number of the taxi and not just the ride reference number,” officials told The Hindu .
“When the fare goes above Rs. 19.5 per km, inclusive of all charges, we can book cases and even seize the vehicles. However, we will need the registration number,” a senior Transport Department official said.
Under the guise of keeping the total price under the limits set by the government, surge pricing has made a comeback in the past few months. While the cab aggregators, who challenged the validity of the Karnataka On-demand Transportation Technology Aggregators Rules in the High Court, gave an undertaking not to charge surge prices, on several instances the cost exceeded the maximum fare of Rs. 19.5 a km, sources said.
Uber, when contacted about passengers being charged more than the fixed rate, earlier said: “All fares on Uber are shown upfront and are within government prescribed maximum fares. In the event a rider is ever charged over the government prescribed fares, we pro-actively refund the excess amount within 72 hours.”
Ola, another aggregator, did not respond to mail and messages.
