Policy aims at regulating fares and terms of services but taxi unions against including app-based aggregators
The Delhi government is all set to discuss its much-awaited City Taxi Scheme, 2017, with all the stakeholders on Monday. The comprehensive policy aims at regulating fares and terms of services for all types of taxis plying in the city, including kali-peelis, economy radio taxis and app-based taxi aggregators, such as Ola and Uber.
The meeting with the representatives of taxi unions in the city, meant to finalise the modalities of the scheme, will be chaired by Transport Minister Kailash Gahlot. "The policy has been prepared. We have held discussions with the minister. This is supposed to be our final meeting with the stakeholders to apprise them of the guidelines being framed. We have tried to keep their best interests in mind while preparing the policy," a senior Delhi government official said.
The policy is intended to bring all taxis plying under the same umbrella, which will ensure the safety of passengers, especially women, the officer said.
The taxi unions, however, are opposed to bringing the app-based cab services under the same policy. The auto and taxi union drivers claim the app-based cabs "affect their business" and do not hold "valid permits".
Most of the nearly dozen major auto-taxi unions in the city are affiliated with political parties, including AAP, BJP, and Congress.
Kishan Verma, President of the All Delhi Auto-Taxi Transport Congress Union, said: "We may even boycott the meeting. These app-based ride services do not have permits to ply. Also, they are a threat to passenger safety as their drivers are not verified. We have held three meetings with the department officials in this regard."
Last month, DNA had reported that the scheme was likely to be bifurcated for normal taxis and technology-based aggregators. The bifurcation will mean that app-based aggregators will be able to procure permits to ply as on-demand transportation technology, with fixed fares and service benefits for employees, unlike at present.
In 2014, the Delhi High Court (HC) had suspended Uber operations after one of its drivers was accused of raping a passenger.
The new rules will require cab aggregators to install panic button, PSV badges, fixed hours of work, and no surge pricing. The scheme, being readied as per the Centre's Motor Vehicles Act Amendment Bill, 2016, of the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988, is yet to be reviewed by Lieutenant Governor (L-G) Anil Baijal.
PATH TO FOLLOW
The Karnataka and Maharashtra state governments had recently formulated new polices to regulate taxis and aggregators. Last year, the two state governments brought in the Karnataka On-demand Transportation Technology Aggregators Rules, 2016, and the Maharashtra City Taxi Scheme, 2016, respectively, to license app-based cab services.
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