App way or no way: Cab aggregators in Bengaluru

Bengaluru: The state may have passed the  Transportation Technology Aggregators Act 2016 to check arbitrary fares charged by app-based cab operators  and make digital meters and panic buttons for the cabs mandatory, but the operators themselves don’t seem in a hurry  to comply with the new rules and regulations.

A spokesperson of Uber said the company was still studying the new law and was not  in a position to say anything about it presently. Ola officials too declined to comment. Most cab drivers , for their part, don’t seem to be even aware of the new law.

Said Ravi, an Uber driver, “We have not been informed about the new law. If panic buttons and non-detachable GPS need to be installed in our cabs,  it is not our headache. The operator should take care of it. But I do not want my vehicle to be seized for no fault of mine.”

But the transport department says it is readying to enforce the Act after giving the cabs a buffer period of 15 days to fall in line. Officials of the metrology department have met the transport department to get all  details required to calibrate the meters for the app-based cabs.

Additional Commissioner of Transport, H G Kumar, says it is early days yet and  the metrology department will soon invite all the cabs via the media to get their meters calibrated.

“All the cabs must be fitted with digital meters with a printing facility, linked to their control rooms. And they can get the panic button from the market or any vendor they want,” he said, also emphasising that before applying for a license under the Act, the cab operators would have to comply with the requirements of the new law.

If cab operators are not enthused about the new curbs on their services, city commuters are happy they have been put in place as they can now hope for
a respite from the arbitrary fares charged by these private taxi services in the city.

Airlines, hotels too follow surge pricing: Uber GM
Mr Bhavik Rathod, General Manager, Uber South and West, requested the state government to modify its rules on surge pricing and to accept dynamic pricing as today’s trend and accept it.

On the recent guidelines issued by the state government banning any kind of extra fare by cab aggregators, he told Deccan Chronicle, “Airlines, hotels and resorts also have this pricing policy. They have different charges for different periods, keeping in mind market condition, demand and supply. Uber is also following a similar policy,” he said.

“Dynamic pricing policy helps passengers as during most parts of the day, our prices are lower than the fare fixed by the government. Only during peak hours, we follow dynamic pricing to help needy passengers,” he explained.

“We have Uber Go, which has the lowest fare. The government should consider market realities and recent trends while coming out with a new policy," he said.
“Drivers have benefited by our pricing policy and so have commuters," he said.
“We are trying to create awareness among commuters about surge pricing policy. We have also petitioned the state government," he said.