Around 500 cabbies took part in the protest at Freedom Park on Monday

BENGALURU: With a section of city cab drivers staging a protest at Freedom Park on Monday demanding auto rickshaw-like fare meters, the transport department is looking into the feasibility of the proposition.

Many taxi drivers want to switch to the metering system on the lines of black and yellow taxis in Mumbai and yellow cabs in Kolkata.

While some experts are apprehensive that taxi drivers too might follow in the footsteps of auto drivers, demanding excess fares, tampering meters and refusing to play, the move could ensure steady income for cabbies, without them having to rely on app-based cab aggregators. Over the years, cab drivers have been complaining about app-based firms reducing incentives in the name of commission. However, meter-run cabs are unlikely to have surge pricing, something app-based aggregators follow during peak hours when the demand is high.

In fact, many drivers tried to come up with apps to compete with Ola and Uber but all of them, including the JD(S)-backed Namma TYGR, failed miserably. “We’ve realised that coming up with a new app without financial backing or technical expertise won’t work. We cannot compete with multi-national companies. It’s better to have auto rickshaw-like fare meters,” said Kiran Gowda, a cab driver.

K Somashekar, president of INTUC-backed Namma Chalakara Trade Union, which led the protest said: “Many drivers have been blacklisted by cab aggregators. We are demanding the government provide meters so that we can operate independently.”

Revathy Ashok, managing trustee and CEO of Bangalore Political Action Committee (B.PAC), said: “Bringing fare meters in taxis won’t make any difference. It’ll be like going back in time. There are also chances of meter tampering and refusal to ply.” Revathy instead suggested removing the regulatory cap on fares for cab-aggregators.

On being asked about cabbies’ demand, a senior transport official said: “It’ll have to be a policy decision. But app-based fare calculations are more advanced than the normal digital fare meters. It’ll be like going back to an old system, but we could still consider their petition.”

K Radhakrishna Holla, former president of Bengaluru Tourist Taxi Operators Association, said most cabs associated with Ola and Uber have state contract permit and only city taxi permit holders like KSTDC and Meru cabs have meter taxis. “As these cabs were plying under Karnataka On-Demand Transportation Technology Aggregators Rules, there was no need for meters, but now they are demanding the same as their incomes have shrunk,” he added.

KSTDC airport taxis are fitted with GPS-enabled machines which enable tracking and issue receipt at the end of the journey.

In 2018, the transport department fixed minimum and maximum rates in four categories for app-based cabs, based on the cost of vehicle, against the earlier maximum fare of Rs 14.5 per km for non-AC and Rs 19.5 per km for AC vehicles. Now, the minimum fare varies between Rs 11-Rs 20 per km to maximum fare of Rs 22-Rs 45 per km.

“In case of digital meters, we will have to fix uniform fares. We won’t be able to have different rates,” the transport department official added.

