Cabs in Chandigarh. Express Cabs in Chandigarh. Express A minimum and maximum fare policy, panic button for passengers, mobile charging point facility and GPS-enabled system are some of the key features in the draft policy for web-based taxis. A meeting to give a final nod to the draft, prepared by the State Transport Authority, will be held this week, following which it would be notified. Watch what else is making news: On the proposal of a minimum and a maximum fare policy, a senior officer of the administration said: “The web-based taxi operators try to introduce less fares to attract customers and this tramples other modes of transport opted by people. By having a cap on the minimum fare (between Rs 8 and Rs 11 per km), it will ensure that by offering predatory discounts, the competition with other modes of public transport, like autorickshaw or other taxi operators, is not trampled with.” A maximum fare of Rs 23 per km is likely to be fixed as the upper limit. After receiving complaints about the web-based taxi operators increasing charge according to their will during rain or peak hours, the administration decided to introduce this policy. Also, if the company changes its fare policy, it will have to declare it 30 days before implementing it. Initially, the administration had proposed to make installation of CCTV cameras mandatory in all web-based taxis. However, after the operators of these taxi services objected to it, the administration dropped it. “For a cab having 12 seats and above (excluding a driver seat), it is mandatory to install CCTV cameras. As it was objected for the taxis below 12 seats, we dropped it. However, for the safety of passengers we have a panic button that will be available on the mobile app of these taxi services,” said a senior officer of the transport department. The panic button would be linked with the police control room. A call centre-based cab service operator, Arvind Kumar, who was one of those who attended the meeting told the officials that a panic button should be there in the vehicle as well. “What if the phone of the passenger gets discharged and he is unable to use the panic button on the app. They should have it in the taxi itself. Even if a driver tries to tamper with the panic button, an alert will be sounded at the control room,” he added. Several authorised taxi dealers and representatives of web-based taxis attended the meeting. A yellow colour display of the word “taxi” would also be mandatory for them. Facilities of GPS and mobile charger point for passengers, driver training programme and a grievance redressal cell would also be made mandatory.

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