The Karnataka government has termed the auto services of Ola, Uber, and Rapido “illegal”. The state government has reportedly served notices to the companies to shut down the services in three days.
Govt bans Uber Ola auto
App-based cab and bike aggregators including Ola, Uber, and Rapido have been declared “illegal” by the Karnataka state government and asked to discontinue their auto services in Karnataka within the next three days. The state transport department has given notices to the companies, according to a report by Economic Times (ET).
“Auto services should be discontinued and also not to charge passengers more than the fare prescribed by the government,” the notice by the department read.
Reportedly, commuters have complained to the state government that the companies charge a minimum of Rs 100 as the base fare. According to government norms, auto drivers are eligible to charge a fixed rate of Rs 30 for the first two kilometers and Rs 15 per kilometer thereafter.
Companies are yet to respond
The three companies are yet to respond to calls made with regard to this development.
The state police authorities also stated that these companies are not qualified to run auto-rickshaws as the rules are available for taxis only.
“The aggregators are providing autorickshaw services in violation of government regulations. Also, it has come to the notice of the department that customers are being charged higher rates than the rates fixed by the government,” transport commissioner T H M Kumar told Times Now.
According to Times Now, in September, the state government registered 292 cases on behalf of the citizens, against the ride aggregators for overcharging. The local auto drivers in Bengaluru were also planning to counter the app-based aggregators by launching their own mobile applications. The “Namma Yatri” app is expected to be launched on November 1.
