The Karnataka transport department on Thursday ordered the app aggregators such as Ola, Uber and Rapido in Bengaluru to stop auto services by Sunday and declared them illegal. The department also asked the aggregators to submit a report on alleged overcharges, failing which action will be taken against them.
The order issued by the state transport department read, “The transport regulations are violated by the aggregators who are running auto services through their apps. We also received complaints about not following the price cap that was fixed by the government. We were informed that the higher charges are being collected from the passengers. Therefore, the auto services must be discontinued and aggregators must submit a report to the government on overprice allegations”
According to media reports, the Autorickshaw Drivers Union in Bengaluru will be launching an app called ‘Namma Yatri‘ on November 1, where passengers can book an auto online. The ARDU has partnered with Beckn Foundation, backed by Infosys co-founder Nandan Nilekani.
In recent times, many commuters have been complaining about the exorbitant fares quoted by the auto drivers in the city. The passengers also allege that the meters are not being used at all.
In November last year, the Karnataka government had raised the meter fares of auto drivers in the state. The price was increased to ₹30 from ₹25 for the first two kilometres and the base price per every kilometre was increased to ₹15 from ₹13.
