KOCHI: Residents who depend on online taxi service providers are now forced to pay higher fares. Kerala Online Drivers' Union (KODU) said that more than 4,000 taxis have been assigned for conferences and other events being held in the city."Only a few vehicles are operating with online taxi aggregators and there is high demand for these cars. Naturally, the charges levied by operators have also gone up," said KODU state president Jackson Varghese.He said that KODU is opposed to the concept of surge and peak pricing. "It is against the regulations set by the government. We have been insisting on providing a constant fare system for online taxi services. However, it has not been implemented," he added.According to online taxi drivers, the price surge is expected to continue till Wednesday. Though the annual conference of Association of Physicians of India being held in the city will conclude on Sunday, delegates are expected to take these vehicles for sightseeing in the following days. Commuters using mobile apps for booking rides also pointed out the increased rates."There are many people who depend on online taxis to travel from the city centre to airport. Some of them depend on Kochi Metro till Aluva and then take a feeder service to reach the airport instead of paying higher rates," said Vipin Neelakandan, an online taxi driver.

Stay updated with all the Latest Kochi headlines here. For more exclusive & live news updates from all around India, stay connected with NYOOOZ.