Pune RTO sends letter to Uber over fare norm non-compliance, cabbies & auto drivers to face action

Pune: Cabbies using the Uber platform may face the heat because of the aggregator's non-compliance with the Regional Transport Authority's directive to charge fares as per its approved rates.Pune's regional transport officer Archana Gaikwad told TOI that a letter was sent to Uber seeking the reason for the non-compliance and warning that its application would be deactivated in Pune if it didn't comply with the fare norm. A source said cabbies or autorickshaw drivers would be stopped to check if they were using the platform. Those operating under Uber would be asked if they were following the RTA-approved fare. If not, either fines would be imposed on the drivers or they could be directed to remove the Uber application, the source said.Pune collector, also the head of the RTA, last week directed all the aggregators — Uber, Ola and Rapido — to ensure that fares were adjusted as per the RTA-approved rate — Rs37 for the first 1.5 kilometres and Rs25 for every subsequent kilometre by April-end. "Only Uber has not complied with the same. A letter has come to us from the state transport department to act against any aggregators not complying with the fare rules," Gaikwad said.TOI sent WhatsApp messages to Uber seeking its stand on the issue. A reply was awaited till going to press.A source said acting against the aggregator directly could be tricky at the moment because of a case pertaining to the operational permit of Uber in the State Transport Appellate Tribunal (STAT). "The action against Uber operators will hopefully compel the aggregator to follow the prescribed fare structure. The checks will also bring to the fore if commuters are being charged ‘meter fares'," another RTO official said.Keshav Kshirsagar, the president of India Gig Workers Front, said aggregators like Ola and Rapido were complying with the RTA-approved fares. "The problem is only with Uber. In Pune, around 35,000 cabbies and autorickshaw drivers use the Uber application. In Pimpri Chinchwad, the count is around 10,000. We have deactivated our ‘onlymeter.in' application after the RTO instructed us to do so. But if Uber doesn't comply with the fare rule, other aggregators might follow suit. If that happens, we will have to resume the website," he said.
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