Uber, Ola-this one’s for you, with love, the Indian Government

The online cab providers in India – one of the most money-spinning sector – will now be treated as any other taxi provider and not as just technology platforms as they too will have to follow the guidelines issued by the government.

The road transport and highways secretary Vijay Chibber said, "App-based taxi aggregators should be treated as normal taxi operators and not as a developer of digital technology. They can't hide behind the garb of being a technology company.”

From now on, all the cab aggregators will be asked to have safety features for women. Not just this, but plying on clean fuel will be mandatory. For all such operators, a colour code will also be applicable as per the guidelines issued by the ministry, reported The Economic Times.

If reports are to be believed, taxi players like Ola, Uber and TaxiForSure have been trying to prove that they are technology platforms and that the norms for taxi operators do not apply to them.

The move has come at a time when the taxi aggregators are already in a rift with state governments over issues like driver verification and the kind of vehicle being used.

To meet the city radio taxi scheme’s requirements, the Delhi government has already been asking Ola and Uber to run on clean fuel.
“We have also prepared guidelines for states, which will clear the air for them to form their own rules that have to be followed by taxi aggregators," Chibber told reporters on the sidelines of an international road federation conference.

The guidelines have been signed by Road Transport and Highway Minister Nitin Gadkari and will be share with the states soon.

Gadkari has blamed vested interests for delay in introduction of roads safety bill in Parliament. "Despite our efforts, the roads safety bill could not be introduced in Parliament. The Act falls in the purview of concurrent list. Different lobbies are there, who are opposing the bill," he said on Monday.
Image: indiatimes