Bengaluru
Transport Minister Ramalinga Reddy on Monday announced that the State Transport Department will develop a taxi and auto booking app similar to private cab aggregators like Ola and Uber.
Speaking to The Hindu, Mr. Reddy said that he has given instructions to officials to develop the app for autos and cabs in the city. “We have decided to develop an app similar to private cab aggregators since auto and cab drivers have been facing many issues. Especially, the commission paid to the cab aggregators is very high and our taxi and auto drivers are not happy with the private aggregators,” Mr. Reddy said.
Apart from this, the department will request the Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Ltd. (BMRCL) to set up auto stands at all metro stations, he said.
Mr. Redyy held a second round of meeting with the private transport unions and federations to discuss and address their demands on road tax and the impact of the Shakti scheme on Monday.
Earlier, opposing the Shakti scheme, which offers free rides for women in non-premium bus services of the road transport corporations, 23 private transport unions and federations had decided to call for a Bengaluru transport bandh. However, the associations withdrew the call for a strike on July 27 after a meeting with Mr. Reddy.
“The associations had complained on various issues related to cab aggregators and the Shakti scheme. There are demands regarding the compensation paid to the private bus operators. However, these issues will be discussed with the Chief Minister soon,” Mr. Reddy said.
Auto and taxi drivers have demanded compensation and private bus owners have demanded that the government implement the Shakti scheme even in private buses and reimburse them for tickets issued to women. Auto drivers and owners’ unions are demanding a ban on illegal bike taxis across the city. They also want to ban aggregators who charge more than 5% commission of the total fare.
