Take final decision on fare fixation committee recommendations for Ola, Uber cabs in 8 weeks: Bombay HC to Maha govt

The Bombay High Court on Wednesday gave the Maharashtra government eight weeks to take a decision on the recommendations given by a fare fixation committee to cap prices for app-based cab aggregators like Ola and Uber.

A division bench of Justice BP Dharmadhikari and Justice Revati Mohite Dhere by way of last chance granted the extension and till then directed the authorities not to take any coercieve action against the cab drivers and aggregators. 

Advocate GW Mattos, appearing for the state government, told the court that the report is placed before the government for consideration and till then no coercive action against the operators will be taken. 

The Association of Radio Taxis along with Ola and Uber have approached the court challenging the Maharashtra City Taxi rules which, if implemented, will put restrictions on the plying of Ola/Uber cabs on state roads and fixes a maximum and minimum fare based on which the aggregators can charge commuters. 

Earlier, the government had filed an affidavit opposing a bunch of petitions saying “Framing of rules is being opposed to ensure they are not regulated and that they get an unfettered playing field to further their monetary benefits and exploit the commuters."