The State Transport Department has started formulating guidelines to regulate call taxi services which are mushrooming in the city.
Some of the guidelines are expected to pertain to uniform for the drivers, separate permits for call-taxis, GPS in call cabs, and getting a ‘No Objection Certificate’ (NOC) from the police before appointing a driver.
“Since it was launched more than a decade ago, there has been no regulation for this sector. Most of them who operate here are agents. It is time it is brought under control,” said a senior transport department official.
Though people prefer call taxis over autorickshaws for the comfort and to avoid haggling over the fare, transport department officials feel that it is not healthy for operators to charge different fares.
“Like some beverage companies, some of them enter the industry by offering low fares and suddenly increase it,” the official added.
Besides, sources said, under the new guidelines, the call taxis may not be allowed to ply outside the city limits. “The drivers keep switching operators. There is a need to have a system which will tell us who they work for. We will also be able to track the vehicles as they will be fitted with GPS,” added the official.
Red Sun. C. Ambikapathi, president of the Tamil Nadu Call Taxi Owners Association, said that the transport department should ban application-based meters.
“Bookings can be done through mobile application, but the metering should be based on the speedometer,” he added.
Mr. Ambikapathi has also filed a case against Ola in the Competition Commission of India in New Delhi for ‘predatory pricing’ and ‘unfair trade practices.’ A probe has been ordered into the issue. “Ola is providing incentives to drivers and charging very low tariff. This is not healthy competition. Other call-taxi operators will soon file cases in the council soon,” he added.
