This report had stipulated steps that need to be taken while determining fares for autorickshaws, black and yellow taxis, and mobile aggregators like Uber and Ola.
The Mumbai Grahak Panchayat and other transport experts are of the opinion that the state government needs to step in to take control of the situation. These groups are demanding implementation of the report by four-member BC Khatua Committee, that is ready since September 2017. However, the state government is yet to accept the demands and its likelihood of getting implemented immediately is far-fetched.
This report had stipulated steps that need to be taken while determining fares for autorickshaws, black and yellow taxis, and mobile aggregators like Uber and Ola. Apart from this, they have set up guidelines right from introducing these vehicles on road, their behaviour with passengers, safety precautions, documents that the drivers should produce, average earning and expenditure of drivers riding these modes of transport among other things.
The government has been sitting on the report for more than a year now and have not taken any decision. "There is a thorough formula that the BC Khatua committee has come up with to calculate the fares for autos and taxis. These include several parameters. However, until now the government has not implemented this report," said Shirish Deshpande of Mumbai Grahak Panchayat.
The committee had also recommended implementation of telescopic fares wherein if the taxi/auto travels longer distance then fares shall be less, happy hours wherein fares will drop during non-peak hours and others things. "The fare calculation has been factored correctly by the Khatua report. Fare hike has been proposed annually if all the parameters have gone up. Also, if there is an abnormal hike in these parameters, then the government can take a call for a fare hike," said a transport expert.
The abnormal hike is at the rate of 25 per cent or more. Unless the government does not know the actual running cost and the earning, the experts claim there is no point in simply accepting the demand for a fare hike. The experts claim the ball is in government's court who can justify any hike demanded by autos and taxis, only by implementing the BC Khatua report that has all the answers.
"The Khatua report is with the state government who need to take a decision," said Shekhar Channe, state Transport Commissioner. The fare hike normally happens in the month of May-June.
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