After the fare hike in black and yellow cabs in Mumbai, travelling in fleet cabs such as Meru and TabCab will also now be more expensive. The minimum fare has gone up by Rs 3, and every subsequent kilometre will be increased by another Rs 3. Now, Meru cabs will be available for a minimum starting fare of Rs 27 and the fare for every subsequent kilometer will be Rs 20, according to Meru cab officials.

Meru has over 2,000 taxis in its fleet, while TabCab has about 1,000. Together, they constitute more than 75 per cent of the city’s taxi fleet. The demand for fleet cabs in Mumbai is quite high. However, commuters will now have to shell out more to avail of this service. For instance, a 20-kilometre journey that previously would cost around Rs 350, will now cost over Rs 400.

Based on the type of vehicle used, the Road Transport Office has issued four tariff cards for fleet cabs. The categories include – cars worth less than Rs 5 lakh, between Rs 5 and Rs 8 lakh bracket, those between Rs 8 to Rs 12 lakh and cars above Rs 12 lakh. However, most fleet cabs fall in the category of Rs 5 to Rs 8 lakh, which will have a minimum start fare of Rs 27.

The start fare for cabs worth less than Rs 5 lakh is Rs 25 and Rs 18 for every kilometre thereafter. For the Rs 8 to Rs 12 lakh vehicles, the minimum fare will be Rs 30 and will increase by Rs 23 for every subsequent kilometre. For the top category vehicle, the minimum revised fare will be Rs 32, which will increase by Rs 25 for every kilometre thereafter.

Meru Cabs had been pursuing the issue with the State Transport Authority since March this year and TabCab had also been keen to hike its fares. Since its inception, Meru has hiked its fares twice. In September 2010, the minimum fare was hiked by Rs 2, and Re 1 for every kilometre thereafter. The other taxi operators in the city too adopted this structure. In August last year, the fares were further hiked by Rs 2 and Rs 2 for every kilometre thereafter.

> nivedita.ganguly@thehindu.co.in

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