Issues that have arisen between online taxi firms and taxi drivers will be brought to the attention of the State government, Transport Commissioner K. Padmakumar has said.
The government had deputed him to hold talks with stakeholders in the wake of the ongoing hunger strike by representatives of the agitating online drivers’ unions in front of the Collectorate here. He held separate discussions with both the parties. District Collector K. Mohammed Y. Safirulla chaired the meeting.
The demands raised by drivers include grant of minimum wages, decrease in commission (over 26%) being taken by online firms, lessening of pick-up distance and different fare for night trips.
They also sought the firms’ intervention in cases such as accidents and disputes with passengers and added that their concerns were not being taken into account.
Representatives of the firms said working time was not decided by them. Drivers decide when to operate and whether to ply or not. Many drivers operate for online firms a few days of the week, while attending to other passengers during the other days. “We only take 20% of the fare as commission,” they claimed.
Mr. Padmakumar said online taxis played a key role in reducing the number of private vehicles in cities. There is no system at the government-level to regulate the online taxi sector since firms rely on their software to cater to commuters.
Fare revision
Issues such as fare revision will be placed before the Fare Revision Commission, after government-level consultations with stakeholders and the Labour Commissioner. The Transport Department will also recommend formulation of an online taxi policy and a commission to study issues. The views of members of the public too would be taken into account, he added.
Mr Safirulla requested the agitating leaders to withdraw their hunger strike since several commuters relied on online taxi services.