Bengaluru transport department calls for notice against Uber after tweet on high cab fare goes viral

After a screenshot about skyrocketing cab prices in Bengaluru went viral, SN Siddaramappa, Commissioner for Road Transport and Safety ordered the Regional Transport Office (RTO) to issue a notice against Uber. It all began when a man shared a screenshot of the exorbitant prices offered by Uber for a cab. Based on his location, Uber showed extremely high prices for a 52 kms ride to the Kempegowda Bengaluru Airport from Electronic City. The passenger was surprised to see the high prices and said they were close to what he paid for his flight. “Uber fare to Bangalore Airport from E-City. Cost of cab fare is dangerously close to what I paid for the flight ticket,” the user had written. In the screenshot, Uber Premium’s minimum fare for 52 km was Rs 2,584.59, and UberXL’s was Rs 4,051.15. https://twitter.com/Badass_Superdad/status/1660982112370176001?s=20 In an interview with The Indian Express, Commissioner SN Siddaramappa, expressed his dissatisfaction with Uber’s pricing system. “I am directing the RTO to issue a notice against the aggregator company for gross violation by imposing surge pricing,” he said. This comes at a time when Ola CEO Bhavish Aggarwal announced a new service called Prime Plus. The premium service introduced by the company aims to make cab hailing services more comfortable. The India-based startup has now targeted the most common problem among riders-cab cancellations and promises ’no operational hassles.'

Testing out a new premium service by @Olacabs!

Prime Plus: Best drivers, top cars, no cancellations or operational hassles. Will go live for select customers in Bangalore today. Do try it out 🙂👍🏼

I’ll be using it frequently and will share my experiences here on Twitter. pic.twitter.com/c8YDDgnbPU

— Bhavish Aggarwal (@bhash) May 28, 2023

According to an earlier report in The Indian Express, Uber advertised irrational rates for cab rides, charging Rs 150 for the first two kilometers whereas the government has fixed the rate for small cabs at Rs 75 and for luxury cabs at Rs 150 for the first 4 kms. Since the state government banned Ola-auto, Uber and Rapido in 2022, the aggregator companies and the state government are embroiled in a legal battle. Many customers complained about increased auto service prices. The Karnataka High Court, however, stayed the ban order against the aggregators. Read all the Latest News, Trending News, Cricket News, Bollywood News, India News and Entertainment News here. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.