Pune RTO to give Ola & Uber one month before action

A day after the service providers were denied aggregator licenses, officials at the regional transport office declared on Wednesday that they would not crack down on Ola and Uber taxis operating in the city until at least mid-April.

According to a senior RTO official, the companies have been given a month to file an appeal with the state transport appellate tribunal. When the tribunal resolves the issue, they will make a decision.

In Pune and Pimpri Chinchwad, taxis ran normally on Wednesday. However, some passengers reported that drivers were requesting more money from them than just the fare, implying that problems were ahead.

A taxi driver reported that his fare on the app was Rs 306 for his trip from Pune airport to Kondhwa. But the taxi driver demanded an additional Rs 100, claiming that fewer reservations had been made since the license had been rejected. When he saw all of the taxis at the airport running full, he didn’t believe him and declined to pay more.

A taxi driver claimed that although they were battling for higher rates, their services are currently in doubt. What is the guarantee that they won’t be caught and have their car seized by an RTO official or a police officer? For them, it’s an unsettling situation.

The Indian Gig Workers Front’s president, Keshav Kshirsagar, stated that the decision was not anticipated to have an impact on taxi drivers. They are not considering a strike or other form of agitation at this time. The companies ought to apply the new fares in accordance with the Khatua Committee’s directives.

Ola and Uber’s aggregator licenses were denied by Pune’s regional transport authority (RTA) on Tuesday due to their noncompliance with various regulations, mainly regarding insurance and term policies for taxi drivers, among other things. The firms were not adhering to numerous Central Aggregator Guidelines parameters, according to Pune RTO officials.