The government will soon come out with a policy to fix the fare system for cab aggregators in the state and implement strict controls on ‘surge pricing’. The policy will aim at monitoring the services of popular call cab operators such as Ola, Uber and Meru in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR) and provide them with fare meters. The government’s move comes after complaints by commuters of cab operators charging exorbitant rates through the concept of ‘surge pricing’, a surcharge on the given fare when the demand for taxis is higher than cabs available around a given area. The state transport department has confirmed that it will eliminate surge pricing. In a meeting held on Wednesday, Transport Minister Diwakar Raote emphasised on restricting the monopoly of price by the aggregators. “The new policy is awaiting final approval of Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis. It would entail proper provisions on regulating the fares of mobile-application based cab service providers,” Raote said. “We are likely to put a cap on the minimum and maximum pricing of the cab operators, which will benefit consumers,” he added. [related-post] Watch Video: What's making news Under the City taxi scheme 2015, transport officials had submitted a proposal to the state last year to consider revising the rules for private taxi operators in the city. The major observations of the scheme include deciding the fare of the aggregators, prescribing a uniform colour scheme, permitting city taxi permits to the drivers and allowing the sole usage of CNG and LPG for running their services. Welcoming the state’s announcement, Bala Sanep, member of Jai Bhagwan taxi union, said, “This decision would surely benefit the drivers of kaali-peeli taxis. We also demand that the government impose on the aggregators every regulation, such as licensing of permits and control on vehicle numbers, that we have to follow.” Environmentalist and urban issues expert Rishi Agarwal said, “The government has to look at balancing commuter interest, understanding innovation and allowing a level-playing field to the new and existing players in the transport service.” Despite several attempts, spokespersons for Ola and Uber could not be reached for comment.
