Mangaluru, March 27: Notice has been served by Regional Transport Office (RTO) to Ola cabs on various violations. A span of fortnight has been given for the taxi aggregator to respond.
RTO Afzal Ahmed Khan said, there are several violations which cannot be listed now as we are still awaiting reply from Ola. Earlier, Ola drivers have been issued notices as they were not operating under the RTO.
The local taxi operators are also gunning for the taxi aggregator, which is offering much cheaper fares than regular taxis. For instance, a pick-up and drop to Mangaluru International Airport on Ola cabs costs Rs 250; a regular taxi charges Rs450 for the same. This has led to conflicts and Ola drivers have been at the receiving end. Even Ola passengers have to bear the brunt as they are waylaid by local taxi drivers and are prevented from entering the airport premises.
General Secretary of Bangalore Tourist Taxi Owners’ Association (BTTOA), Radhakrishna Holla, said that, the high court had directed the state government to bring taxi aggregators under a regulator under the Motor Vehicle Act. But this has not been implemented so far.”
Dakshina Kannada District Taximen Association and Maxi Cab Association president Monappa Bhandary said: “They need permit as city taxi to operate their services. However, Ola is operating illegally using an All India Taxi Permit. This issue is not restricted to Mangalore. The Delhi government too has asked the cab aggregators to obtain licenses under the radio taxi laws and Kolkata wants them to register under the Information Technology Act 2000. The ministry of road transport and highways said the onus of bringing companies under the radio taxi laws lies solely with the state authorities. But the state government is still dilly-dallying to frame guidelines for taxi aggregators. In this regard, we have made several representations to the state and Centre.
He said, a small city like Mangaluru should not have taxi aggregators, as the operating distances are small and it will affect the livelihood of local taxi drivers who have taken vehicle loans to run their business. A district-wide protest against taxi aggregators will be held in coming days, he said.
