Six-seater taxis, which were introduced in Mumbai's congested business locations, in an effort to transport more people, are demanding a hike in their fares.
The owners of the approximately 200-odd six-seater taxis that ply on sharing-basis in the business districts have complained that they had to spend more on buying the vehicles and so wanted a hike in fares, especially when carrying individual passengers.
After having deliberated, the authorities now are mulling the possibility of increasing fares for such 6-seater taxis by at least 10 per cent. The new fare, if and when approved, would be enforced only on people who would take the cabs on a long-distance route and not on share-basis.
ADVERTISEMENT
Explaining the logic, a senior official from the transport department said that presently a person spends around Rs 40 on a normal four-seater cab for every 10 kms. But even if the 6-seater taxi fare is increased, it would still be less than the regular fare.
Currently, the idea of hiking fares is in a nascent stage and there is a possibility that it may not happen in the near future. "Cost of six-seater vehicles are relatively more than the four-seaters and even the base model is costlier. And so as an incentive for owners to buy bigger taxis, we are contemplating this," said a senior transport official.
The transport department is also planning to make it mandatory for autorickshaws to have roof light that would display whether or not the vehicle is 'On Hire’.
It is already being implemented for black and yellow taxis at the moment.
For the time being no deadline has been decided for implementation as the department is yet to finalise the list of approved vendors from whom it can be bought for taxis and auto rickshaws.
u00a0
Subscribe today by clicking the link and stay updated with the latest news!" Click here!
