Cab drivers demand better fare
Posted on: 03/Aug/2016 6:21:02 PM
Some cab drivers have approached the Tamil Nadu government asking them to fix minimum fares for call taxis and radio taxis on the lines of rates fixed for auto rickshaws. The drivers have been working for cab aggregators such as Ola, Uber, and more recently UTOO. Speaking about this, a senior official of the CITU Transport wing said, The government should fix rates for call taxis as well, as these rates are unregulated. Private companies like Ola and Uber are taking customers for a ride. By regulating the pricing, it will reduce friction between customers and drivers. The government should fix per kilometre charges.
Almost 150 drivers participated in a day long fast that was organised by CITU. They assembled at Valluvar Kottam. The official said, Radio taxi companies were misleading drivers to sign up with them while profiteering at the expense of the drivers. One of our demands is that companies like Ola do away with the Minimum Business Guarantee, or MBG, model, under which, drivers have to do at least 18 trips per day with 7 trips in peak hours. Doing seven trips during peak hours, between 7 p.m. and 11 p.m., is not possible. Drivers get to lose out on the money promised by the company if they are not able to complete 18 trips. The companies take as much as 27 per cent as commission from trip charges. We want the government to fix a cap on the commission earned by these companies as well. We want this to be reduced to seven per cent. We also want the companies to fix a daily salary for them and resolve customer complaints through conference calls.
