The State government will soon come out with norms to regulate call-taxis. The decision follows the rape of a passenger by an Uber cab driver in New Delhi recently.
A separate permit for call-taxis, GPS in call cabs and getting No Objection Certificate (NOC) from the police before appointing a driver are among the decisions expected to be taken by the government. “There are more cabs on the roads than autorickshaws. It is high time they were regulated,” said a source.
At present, the call-taxis in the city are plying on tourist permit.
“Many drivers and car owners often switch between tourist cab operators and call-taxi operators. So there is no clarity for whom they work. Hence, the government is planning a separate permit,” said the source.
When call-taxi drivers commit a crime, it is difficult to fix responsibility as they keep attaching their vehicles to different operators. “Some drivers have attached one car to different cab operators. It is difficult to track them,” said Lalgudi Srinivasan, joint secretary of the Chennai Tourist Taxi Owners Association.
Under the new norms, it is likely that call-taxis will not be allowed to ply out of the city limits. “If GPS is fixed in all cabs, it will be easy for the police to monitor the movement of the vehicles,” said a senior police officer.
Call-taxi operators feel that it is a good move. “The government should also bring out a list of call-taxi operators and the names of drivers attached with them,” said Red Sun C. Ambikapathi, president of the Tamil Nadu Call Taxi Owners Association.
The government may either fix the fare or ask the call-taxi operators to install the meters or monitor the fares.
“As of now, each operator is charging a different fare. This leads to unhealthy competition. It is better if the government fixes Rs.100 as the minimum fare for the first four kilometres,” said Mr. Ambikapathi.
