Maharashtra govt considers taxi permits for Uber, Ola cabs, but unions say no

In the aftermath of a two-day-long ‘indefinite strike’ by taxi drivers in Mumbai, the state transport department is planning to level the playing field by issuing ‘contract carriage permits’, the likes of which are issued to regular taxis. The Times of India reports that the transport department has also proposed to control fares, cap the number of taxis that can ply under a single aggregator, and a series of guidelines for passenger safety. [caption id=“attachment_2420898” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Representational image. Reuters[/caption] The proposal by the transport department includes bringing Uber and Ola under Section 74 of the Motor Vehicles Act, 1998, which includes a clause stating, “specified fares or rates of fares shall be charged and a copy of the fare table shall be exhibited on the vehicle”. However, the pitch has not gone down well with the Mumbai Taximen’s Union — the city’s largest union — whose leader AL Quadros rejected the notion. Quadros has argued that the taxis can’t compete with the services being offered by the aggregators. The Mumbai Taximen’s Union leader has been opposed to the taxi strike organised by the Swabhiman Sanghatana Union. For now though, Uber and Ola appear set to up the ante with plans to offer their customers free wi-fi services.  They have also been curbing increased fares during peak hours in order to attract customers.