The Kerala government has readied a State Motor Vehicle Aggregator Policy, based on Motor Vehicle Aggregator Guidelines 2020 of the Union Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, to streamline operation of public transport vehicles, especially long-distance buses.
Official sources cited the need for formulating rules based on the policy for its effective implementation.
The policy released earlier this month aims at ensuring responsible and effective conduct of business by vehicle-aggregator firms/cooperative societies, and to regulate their licensing. The term aggregator, defined as ‘a digital intermediary or market place for a passenger to connect with a driver for transportation’, was included in the Motor Vehicle (Amendment) Act 2019. Subsequently, the Union Ministry for Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) released the guidelines binding on the aggregators in 2020 and States were permitted to issue licences to transport aggregators.
It specifies that electric vehicles and those running on ethanol and methanol as fuel (and used by the vehicle aggregators) are exempt from permit as mandated by MoRTH. The policy also refers to a wide range of aspects regarding the sector, including the eligibility of an aggregator, and of a day-long induction-training programme for drivers. This ought to cover areas like careful and fuel-efficient driving, vehicle maintenance tips, health, and hygiene and also a gender-sensitisation class.
Passengers’ responsibilities
On their part, passengers should not smoke or drink, should behave in a civil and orderly manner to the driver and co-passengers, and should not coerce the driver to exceed the speed limit. The app (through which the booking is made) should enable the passenger to share their location real time, while the vehicle should have a functional GPS. In addition, the aggregator firm/cooperative society should ready call centres for customer-grievance redressal. There should also be an option to cancel the ticket.
The passengers would be able to rate the quality of the trip, while the policy also speaks of ‘remedial training programme’ for drivers whose rating is below two percentiles. The State government can fix the base fare for aggregators, while surge pricing up to 50% of the base fare is permitted. It should, however, not exceed the rate prescribed by the State government. The fare can also be lessened by up to 50% of the base fare, to ensure optimal utilisation of the vehicle.
Stakeholder consultation
While welcoming the policy, B.J. Antony, former Senior Deputy Transport Commissioner, sought steps to formulate rules in this regard, for its effective implementation. “This is because the policy as such is not binding on vehicle operators. A stakeholder consultation too is needed to ensure that their concerns are redressed and their suggestions taken note of,” he said.
