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Is The Logical Indian against peak time charges?
No. For example, if a cab service is providing cabs at midnight hours, they can/should charge us more than the normal pricing in order to make more cabs available to us and ensure hassle free service. We are not questioning the concept of peak time charges rather questioning the mechanism of peak time charges. They can even charge us upto 5x peak time charges, we do not have an issue with it. However, there needs to be a regulation set by the government.
What is the ‘peak time’?
Ideally, we believe it should either be the busiest hours of the day when most of the cabs are engaged or post midnight when it is difficult to find cabs.
However, peak time hasn’t been defined clearly so far and has different definition for different cab service providers . Currently we are even being charged upto 4x peaktime charges at early morning 5:00 AM, afternoon, evening, night, post midnight. We agree to the concept of different prices at different hours of the day, but it should be regulated by the government. The point we are trying to make is, there needs to be guidelines/regulation, a cap on peak time charges. (For example, in Kartnataka, the auto drivers charge 1.5X after 9PM and usually 2X after 12:00 AM.)
Last month we highlighted the plight of a customer via #VoiceOfCustomer who ended up paying INR 2761 for a cab ride after being charged 3x peak time charges early morning at 5:00 AM.
The purpose of the post was not to question the concept of peak time charges rather seeking some sort of regulations from the government. We understand that the customer agrees to pay the peak time charges before booking the cab and we are not forced to book the cab if we do not agree to the peak time charges.
The post was widely shared and many more people came forward to share similar experiences. In response to all the cases, the Karnataka Government had put in the public domain a proposal to cap the peak charges set by taxi aggregators. The Government has always looked at taxi aggregators on par with other taxi companies whose peak rates are capped. The proposal, when implemented, will put an end to exorbitant rates some had to incur due to peak time charges.
The Logical Indian would like to thank the entire community who played their part in spreading the word until the Government heard it. The power of Democracy is proportional to the awareness of the people, it was your awareness which has lead to the eventual action by the Government in the above-mentioned issue. Information is as good as the number of people who know, let us continue to spread and share the difficulties faced by the common and raise our voice. Rest assured, Democracy will do the rest.
We would also like to take this opportunity to thank the Government of Karnataka for the necessary steps taken.
#VoiceOfCustomer:This is not just about ‘Peak Time Charges’, there are other important concerns discussed which needs to be addressed. Kindly read the complete article and share your thoughts.
Posted by The Logical Indian on Thursday, January 14, 2016
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