Karnataka Govt Meets Uber, Ola, Rapido Over High Auto-Rickshaw Fares; Rickshaw Union calls it ‘eyewash’

Bengaluru, October 29: The Karnataka government on Saturday held a meeting with representatives of taxi aggregators Uber, Ola and Rapido on the issue of high autorickshaw fares. However, the auto-rickshaw union cried foul and dubbed the meeting simply “eyewash”.

The meeting was chaired by Principal Secretary NV Prasad and Transport Department Commissioner TM Kumar. While the details of the meeting were not made public, sources said that requests have been made to the department to fix Rs 100 per kilometer for auto-rickshaws. Ola, Uber, Rapido Autos banned in Karnataka after overcharging complaints; Services deemed “illegal” will be terminated after 3 days.

The government is ready to fix the tariffs for taxi aggregators in connection with accusations of excessive prices. The high court also ordered the government to fix the price within 15 days. Ola, Uber and Rapido ordered to stop car services in Karnataka after three days.

Sources say taxi service providers are insisting on a 30 percent hike in fares. However, the Department of Transport claims that no such requests have been received.

The High Court is considering the issue of fixing tariffs on November 7. However, senior advocate Amrutesh, representing the auto unions, said after the meeting that it was just an eye wash. The meeting ended without fixing the tariffs.

He further stated that the meeting was held only to inform the court on November 7 that they had held a meeting on the matter. “For five or six years, co-aggregators have been robbing public money. This was explained in detail at the meeting, but it ended without a decision, he added. The Department of Transport has given co-aggregators a ride without any restrictions. The leaders of auto trade unions were not invited to the meeting, he said.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on 29 Oct 2022 at 17:56 IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, visit our website Latestly.com).