<p>Bengaluru: In compliance with a Karnataka High Court order, bike taxis stopped operations on Monday.</p>.<p>However, commuters across the city noticed an immediate surge in auto fares. A minimum fare hike of Rs 10 to Rs 70 was observed on Monday evening and throughout Tuesday.</p>.<p>Soibam Jayananda Singh, a communications professional, noted that Uber saw the highest surge.</p>.<p>“I stay in Koramangala 1st Block, and my office is at Langford Road. Normally, an auto ride shows Rs 140 to Rs 150 during peak hours without tips. On Tuesday morning, I noticed that Namma Yatri and Rapido increased by Rs 10. Uber surged up to Rs 190, and after some time, it shot up to over Rs 200,” he said.</p>.BJP leaders slam reduced land share for Namma Metro’s Hebbal depot.<p>A resident of Indiranagar, who travels to Richmond Town every day, noticed an approximate hike of Rs 20 to Rs 30 across all aggregator platforms on Monday evening and Tuesday morning. Despite the price hike, autos were only available after adding a tip of a minimum of Rs 60.</p>.<p>"I travel from Sultanpalya to Hebbal every day, and the fare is usually around Rs 120. On Tuesday evening, when I was heading back from work, the fare was Rs 25 more on Namma Yatri, and Rs 40 more on Rapido and Ola,” said Sneha B.</p>.<p>On Tuesday afternoon, an auto ride from Akshaynagar to MG Road, covering 11 km, was priced at Rs 230, instead of the usual Rs 160 to R 170.</p>.<p>A well-placed source with a leading ride-aggregator platform said that the surge pricing is “purely based on demand. With bike taxis temporarily gone, the demand for autos shot up naturally”.</p>.<p><span class="bold">Aggrieved can approach courts</span></p>.<p>Advocate Indra Dhanush said the central and state governments have issued several directions to cab service providers to curb the practice of dynamic pricing, which is arbitrary and illegal.</p>.<p>“The Central Consumer Protection Authority also has conducted several probes on fare disparities, despite which the practice continues,” he said.</p>.<p>Aggrieved customers can approach courts for legal recourse under Section 2(47) of the Consumer Protection Act, 2019, which deals with ‘Unfair Trade Practice’, he added.</p>
<p>Bengaluru: In compliance with a Karnataka High Court order, bike taxis stopped operations on Monday.</p>.<p>However, commuters across the city noticed an immediate surge in auto fares. A minimum fare hike of Rs 10 to Rs 70 was observed on Monday evening and throughout Tuesday.</p>.<p>Soibam Jayananda Singh, a communications professional, noted that Uber saw the highest surge.</p>.<p>“I stay in Koramangala 1st Block, and my office is at Langford Road. Normally, an auto ride shows Rs 140 to Rs 150 during peak hours without tips. On Tuesday morning, I noticed that Namma Yatri and Rapido increased by Rs 10. Uber surged up to Rs 190, and after some time, it shot up to over Rs 200,” he said.</p>.BJP leaders slam reduced land share for Namma Metro’s Hebbal depot.<p>A resident of Indiranagar, who travels to Richmond Town every day, noticed an approximate hike of Rs 20 to Rs 30 across all aggregator platforms on Monday evening and Tuesday morning. Despite the price hike, autos were only available after adding a tip of a minimum of Rs 60.</p>.<p>"I travel from Sultanpalya to Hebbal every day, and the fare is usually around Rs 120. On Tuesday evening, when I was heading back from work, the fare was Rs 25 more on Namma Yatri, and Rs 40 more on Rapido and Ola,” said Sneha B.</p>.<p>On Tuesday afternoon, an auto ride from Akshaynagar to MG Road, covering 11 km, was priced at Rs 230, instead of the usual Rs 160 to R 170.</p>.<p>A well-placed source with a leading ride-aggregator platform said that the surge pricing is “purely based on demand. With bike taxis temporarily gone, the demand for autos shot up naturally”.</p>.<p><span class="bold">Aggrieved can approach courts</span></p>.<p>Advocate Indra Dhanush said the central and state governments have issued several directions to cab service providers to curb the practice of dynamic pricing, which is arbitrary and illegal.</p>.<p>“The Central Consumer Protection Authority also has conducted several probes on fare disparities, despite which the practice continues,” he said.</p>.<p>Aggrieved customers can approach courts for legal recourse under Section 2(47) of the Consumer Protection Act, 2019, which deals with ‘Unfair Trade Practice’, he added.</p>