The firms said they are following government-fixed fare and therefore, the notices should be withdrawn. The department has called for a hearing with representatives of these companies on Tuesday. Officials said the department will submit a detailed report to the high court following the meeting, since a case filed by the aggregators is still pending.
Though the department is unlikely to take action against the aggregators, it is likely to include autorickshaws in the existing aggregator rules, which were framed for cabs.
“We have called Ola and Uber for a meeting at 2.30pm on Tuesday and Rapido at 4pm. Both Ola and Uber had cab aggregator licences but they have expired, while Rapido is operating without any licence,” said an official.
“We are not in a position to take action against them but will submit a report to the high court. We will warn them not to charge above the government-fixed minimum auto fare,” said a transport department official.
TOI on Thursday carried a report titled ‘Minimum charge for aggregator auto in city breaches Rs 100’. Following this, the transport department stated that aggregator autos are ‘illegal’ and issued notices to the firms. The government-fixed minimum fare for autos is Rs 30.
Autos may be included in aggregator rules
Officials said they have issued licences to these firms under the Karnataka On-Demand Transportation Technology Aggregators Rules, 2016, to run only taxis. However, both Ola and Uber have been providing auto services in violation of the regulations.
“We are planning to amend the aggregator rules to include autos, and will come up with separate fares. The minimum auto fare is likely to be the same (Rs 30 for first 2km) and for additional kilometres, the fare may be Rs 10-20 per km. So, the firms could charge more (up to Rs 20 per km for additional km) during peak hours when demand is high,” said an official. He said they will be able to amend the rules once the HC disposes of the case.