Pune: The Pune RTO on Thursday penalised 15 cabbies for overcharging commuters and told aggregators to follow the RTA-approved fares — Rs37 for the first 1.5km and Rs25 for every subsequent kilometre — in its attempt to streamline the cab operations in the city.Deputy regional transport officer Swapnil Bhosle said, “Ola and Rapido have agreed to follow the Regional Transport Authority (RTA)’s fare structure. Uber has not come on board yet and talks are on. Appropriate action will be taken if it doesn’t comply. Companies must also follow the central guideline mandating that drivers receive at least 80% of the fare.”Bhosle said the action against the cabbies and discussions with the aggregators were a part of a sustained enforcement drive to restore regulated cab fares across the city. “Cabs will be stopped, commuters will be asked about fares and action will be taken. The same thing was done on Thursday. After discussions with commuters, officers learnt that cabbies had asked for random fares. Each day, different localities or roads will be identified for the drive,” he said.A section of commuters said the fleecing was on despite the RTO action. “Most cabbies are demanding Rs25–30 per km. They are opting for the app fare only when it is higher. Just taking action against a handful of cabbies won’t solve the problem,” said Atul Keshav from Handewadi.Wakad-based professional Sunil Prasad said, “The RTO should involve police in the drive against cabbies. Otherwise, the desired goal won’t be achieved.”Deputy regional transport officer Bhosle iterated thatthe controversial fare determination platform “onlymeter.in” — launched last year by the Indian Gig Workers’ Front — would not be allowed to operate again. The front’s president, Keshan Kshirsagar, had said on March 31 the platform was being shut for “maintenance and upgrades”.The RTO, Pune, officials hinted that the platform was shut because of pressure from authorities after cab fare disputes snowballed into violence. The controversial platform allowed cab drivers to calculate fares independently, violating the rates shown on aggregators’ apps.Aggregators like Uber and Rapido follow a software-as-a-service model. They claim that app fares are indicative and final charges hinge on negotiations between drivers and passengers.
