The Bombay High Court on Wednesday directed the Maharashtra government to decide on the B.C. Khatua report, which suggests fare regulations for app-based and meter-based cabs, within eight weeks.
A Division Bench of Justices B.P. Dharmadhikari and Revati Mohite-Dere was hearing a bunch of petitions. One of them was filed by the Association of Radio Taxis, which said companies like Uber, Ola, Meru and Tabcabs are plying with tourist permits, and sought a direction from the court to stop their operations.
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The petition pointed out that cab and taxi drivers ought to have public service vehicle badges issued by the State Transport Authority after verifying the antecedents of the driver. All such cabs and taxis are required to be fitted with a functioning electronic meter and to charge only the specified/regulated fare. The petition also said fare has to be as per the one fixed by the Roads and Transport Authority and no other charge like surge pricing can be recovered from the passenger.
There is no check on drivers of vehicles run by operators like Ola and Uber, the petition contended, and urged the HC to stop the use of websites and apps of these cabs as they violate sections under the Motor Vehicles Act.
In October 2016, the State had constituted a four-member committee under the retired IAS officer Mr. Khatua to decide on ceiling of the fare structure for cabs.
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In September 2017, the government submitted a report to the court, and in November 2017, the State told the court that it would decide on the fares in the winter session of the Assembly.
The court had previously said that the Maharashtra City Taxi Rules discriminate between black and yellow taxis and app-based cab services, and asked the State to be rational and allow fair competition.