Nearly 7500 taxis, rickshaws, bikes fined Rs 1.63 cr by Maharashtra transport department in MMR

Mumbai, Sep 25 (PTI) The Maharashtra transport department has taken action against nearly 7500 taxis, auto rickshaws and two-wheelers in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region between April 1 and August 25 for violations and collected fines totalling Rs 1.63 crore, an official said on Thursday.

The transport department has also registered FIRs against some app-based aggregators at Azad Maidan, Samata Nagar and Amboli police stations for illegally ferrying passengers using private two-wheelers through their platform.

The vehicles comprise 7152 taxis and auto rickshaws and 263 bikes, a release from the department quoted Bharat Kalaskar, additional transport commissioner and secretary of Mumbai Metropolitan Region Transport Authority (MMRTA), as saying.

The 1752 taxis and autorickshaws include app-based ones, it said, adding Rs 3.88 lakh fines were recovered from 263 app-based motorcycles.

The department also warned of action against taxi and autorickshaw permit holders or app based aggregators if they are found not following the provisions in Motor Vehicles Act, the release said.

Last week, the Regional Transport Authority (RTA) for Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR) had written a letter to three app-based taxi and auto rickshaw entities, namely Ola, Uber and Rapido, directing them to follow black-and-yellow cab fares from September 18 until the state decides on separate rates for app-based cabs.

The Maharashtra Gig Kamgar Manch, a union of app-based taxis and auto rickshaws, has demanded a rationalisation of fares to bring them on par with conventional black-and-yellow taxis, prohibition of bike taxis, cap on permits of black-and-yellow cabs and autorickshaws, as well as formation of a welfare board for drivers of app-based cabs and enactment of Maharashtra Gig Workers' Act on the lines of other states.

The department issued the press release when some app-based taxis and autorickshaw drivers started started charging passengers on ride-hailing platforms such as Ola, Uber and Rapido as per the new government-notified fares, which are higher than regular fares of these cabs, from Tuesday, the union leading the agitation of cabbies claimed.

The transport department's release also clarified that as per the fare fixed by the State Transport Authority, the app based aggregators cannot charge more than Rs 15 minimum fare for the first 1.5 km distance and Rs 10.27 for every next kilometre.

"There is no approval to app based bike aggregators for surging their fare as per the demand and supply. They can only charge the fixed fare," the release stated. PTI KK BNM