Comments
The State govt ban notwithstanding, Ola, Uber, Rapido autorickshaws continue to operate in Karnataka as of October 12.
The Karnataka government had announced the ban as the ride-aggregators were found overcharging the customers for auto rides, with the minimum fares touching ₹100. Ola, Uber, and Rapido have reduced base fares for auto rides from ₹60 to ₹30 in Bengaluru, after the Karnataka Transport Department sent a notice seeking explanation for the high prices. This change in base fare has brought the auto fare for 1 km trip to around ₹70 from the earlier ₹100 minimum charge.
Fine on apps
The Karnataka government had announced a fine of ₹5,000 per vehicle on app-based ride aggregators if they continued to operate app-based auto services in Bengaluru. The ride-aggregator industry is estimated to be operating over 1 lakh autos in Bengaluru, servicing more than 25 lakh riders per month through these apps.
In a statement, an Uber spokesperson said, “Autos play a vital role in India’s transportation needs. We stand ready to work with the government to ensure that the benefits of e-hailing extend to the auto industry and particularly to the tens of thousands of drivers and several lakh riders who rely on aggregator apps such as ours.”
“The people of Bengaluru have made it clear that they value door-step pick-ups, no haggling and round-the-clock support that platforms like Uber bring to serve the mobility needs of the city,” the spokesperson added.
In an earlier statement, Rapido also said that it will continue to operate in Bengaluru. “We have not increased our minimum fare to ₹100 in Bengaluru. During peak hours, dynamic surge kicks in to handle availability to customers,” the company spokesperson added.
Comments
COMMENT NOW
Comments
Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.
We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of TheHindu Businessline and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.