Saturday, October 12, 2024
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Revised fares ignore sharing system prevalent in State

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Now hire a local cab, pay Rs 20

By Our Reporter

 SHILLONG: The State Government has announced the revised fares for local taxi, auto rickshaws, maxi cabs and motor cabs in the State, two days after an official notification was issued in this regard.

The Principal Secretary, Transport department, has announced that as per the new tariff, the fare for local taxis shall be Rs 20 for the first kilometre and Rs 10 for every subsequent kilometer, while the charge for detaining a local taxi shall be Rs 5 for every 5 minutes.

The fare for journey by auto rickshaws shall be Rs 11 for the first kilometre and Rs 5 for every subsequent kilometer, while the charge for detaining the vehicle shall be Rs 4 for every ten minutes.

Meanwhile, for the maxi cabs (Sumos) the rate has been fixed at Rs 1.62 paise per passenger per kilometer subject to a minimum of 30 kilometres and for motor cabs (tourist cabs like Alto, Indica, etc.) the revised fares would be Rs 15.50 paise per kilometre for the first kilometer subject to minimum of 30 kilometres.

The Principal Secretary, however, clarified that the revised rates were in accordance with the booking system which is not followed in the State.

“There is no such thing as sharing system in the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988. The rate has been worked out in accordance with the booking system,” East Khasi Hills District Transport Officer P Rynjah told reporters here on Wednesday.

He, however, informed that since the sharing system is prevalent in the State, the Regional Transport Authority (RTA) will calculate the rate per junction which will include the name of the location and the fares to be paid by the passengers.

“With the new tariff card with location-wise and amount mentioned, the passengers will know the exact fare to be paid,” Rynjah added.

According to the revised rate, the fare for journey by a local taxi will be Rs 20 per kilometre which means that the amount would be paid by the four passengers on a sharing system.

But it is noticed that the sitting capacity is often not taken into consideration, since some local taxis ply with 5-6 passengers, which means that the amount levied by the taxi drivers is higher than the revised rates fixed by the State Government.

Reacting to this query, the DTO said the sitting capacity is monitored and directed by the Traffic Police.

Meanwhile, East Khasi Hills District Local Taxi Welfare Association (EKKLTWA) general secretary Wandonbok Jyrwa mentioned that a tariff card would be prepared to avoid confusion among the public. “We have to sit with the RTA to discuss on the routes and junctions and the new rates,” Jyrwa said.

“In case a local taxi driver does not display the tariff chart, the passengers should lodge a complaint to the association and abstain from paying the fares,” he mentioned, adding that action would be taken against such drivers.

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