Ola, Uber drivers can't work more than 12 hours a day: Road Transport Ministry

Drivers of vehicles working with aggregators such as Ola or Uber cannot work more than 12 hours a day, guidelines issued by the road transport ministry said.

Aggregators, like cab hailing companies, will have to ensure a tracking mechanism on their apps to clock the drivers' working hours (even if they work with multiple aggregators at the same time) to see that they get at least ten hours of rest.

To ensure safety, the guidelines also mandate five-day trainings before attaching vehicles to drivers and two-day annual refresher courses. Drivers who have very low scores from riders will also have to undergo compulsory remedial training.

The guidelines, issued on Friday, also cap surge pricing and the minimum amount the driver must get from each ride.

"The aggregator shall be permitted to charge a fare 50 per cent lower than the base fare and a maximum surge pricing of 1.5 times the base fare," said the Motor Vehicle Aggregators Guidelines, 2020 issued by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways.

The driver of a vehicle integrated with the aggregator shall receive at least 80 per cent of the fare applicable on each ride and the remaining charges for each ride shall be received by the aggregator, the guidelines added.

(With agency inputs)