Final notification on rules for taxi aggregators may be delayed

The final notification of the rules regulating taxi aggregators may be delayed since officials are yet to review the suggestions they have received to the draft notification.

The transport department, which had given time till March 9 for objections and suggestions to its draft rules issued on February 9, has received around 15 responses, including those from the public. 

An official in the department told Deccan Herald that they are still reviewing the objections and suggestions and will require time to submit them to the transport ministry.

Though Commissioner for Transport and Road Safety Ramegowda told Deccan Herald that the final notification on the Karnataka On-demand Transportation Technology Aggregators Rules-2016 will be issued in two-three days, an official in the department said this was unlikely since officials need to sit together and assess the objections and suggestions and submit a view on them.

What the draft rules say
On hire charges, the draft notification clearly says, “In any case, the fare, including any other charges, if any, shall not be higher than the fare fixed by the government from time to time. No passenger shall be charged for dead mileage and the fare shall be charged only from the hiring point to the point of releasing the taxi by the passenger.”

Safety measures
Besides hiring charges, the draft rules have also emphasised the safety measures to be taken by aggregators for passengers. It says the applicant should have a control room with facilities to monitor the movement of taxis with technology like global positioning system (GPS) etc.

It also says vehicles should provide a panic button for the passenger to alert the control room and give out printed bills. The draft rules insist that the licensee has details of the driver’s records like driving licence and PAN card.