Karnataka Government Reforms Cab Fare, Commuters To Pay More

The Karnataka State Government on Wednesday revised minimum and maximum fares for cab operators in the city. The notification came as a delight to aggregators such as Ola and Uber, while the fare will weigh heavy on passenger’s wallet, making them pay more.

The government has issued an order to the Karnataka Transport Authority and all regional transport authorities fixing minimum and maximum prices for all air-conditioned and non-air conditioned cabs operating in the state.

New Tariff

As reported by The Hindu, for further simplicity and convenience, the taxi fares have been divided into four categories based upon the cost of the vehicle:

For D– Class Vehicle (below 5 lakh): The customers have to shell out Rs. 44 for the first four kilometres with a minimum of Rs 12 per km and maximum of Rs 24 per km for the following distance.

For C– Class Vehicle (5-19 lakhs): The customers have to pay Rs.52 for the first four kilometres, and they will be charged Rs 12/km and Rs 24/km for minimum and maximum fares respectively.

For B– Class Vehicle (10-16 lakhs): The customer will be charged Rs.68 for the first four kilometres and Rs 16 and Rs 34 per kilometre for minimum and maximum fares respectively.

For A– Class Vehicle (above 16 lakhs): The customer will be charged Rs. 80 for the first four kilometres and a minimum fare of Rs 20/km and a maximum charge of Rs 45/km after that.

Reactions

Reform in the existing fare came out as a relief to the long-pending demand of the cab operators who had been in distraught after a drastic fall in the earning. Other reasons such as fuel price hike, costs of vehicles, and maintenance have taken into consideration to revise the fare.

At present, in Bengaluru, Ola Micro charges Rs. 6 per kilometre while Uber Go charges Rs. 7 per kilometre. These prices are meagre as compared to autorickshaws which cost Rs. 13 per kilometre.

Commenting on the government’s move, Christian Freese, Uber India GM-South said that they had welcomed the efforts by the state government to revise the existing fare structure, keeping in mind the interest of hundreds of thousands of drive partners. “The revision will help to improve their earning potential and create sustainable livelihood opportunities. We remain committed to engage and work with the relevant authorities to enable regulations that can enhance the future of urban mobility in the estate,” he added.