By Our Reporter
SHILLONG, Aug 22: Bike aggregator service Rapido is fast losing its reputation with its captains indulging in illegal activities by taking passengers for a ride as they would ask them to cancel their booked ride and, instead, offering them to ferry them to their destination at higher prices.
Many of the passengers who are using the Rapido service have complained about this illegal activity of the Rapido captains.
The Rapido captains are trying to exploit the passengers to earn maximum profit, one of the passengers said on condition of anonymity.
According to them, the Rapido captains are charging the customers more than the price specified in the app after cancellation of the ride.
The manager of the company/agency should take serious note of all these lapses and take immediate action against those responsible for preying on the misfortune of others, passengers have said.
One of the passengers said that the original fare indicated in the app was Rs 120 but she was asked to pay Rs 150 after cancellation of the ride.
According to her, she was not in a mood to argue and so she ended up paying him the money.
Another disgruntled client had stated that the amount displayed on the app was Rs 39. “But the amount charged by the captains was Rs 60 which is double the amount,” he said.
And knowing very well that customers usually have no other option but to book a ride, the discretion lies with the rider to decide on the transportation fare.
Several passengers shared similar stories that the Rapido captain would first ask them to cancel the ride on the app and would fix their own rate to earn an extra amount which is illegal.
According to the company’s rule, the operation shouldn’t be carried out according to the whims and fancies of the captains.
Amid the growing dependence of the public on two-wheelers as a means of transportation, especially in the state capital, the state government had decided to regulate two-wheelers operating as bike taxis purportedly without any licence from the competent authority in the state.
“So far, only one applicant by the name of Jet 24×7 had got the licence to operate as a taxi aggregator in the state. However, they are yet to operate because the state government has to notify the permit tax, road tax and passenger fares,” an official said.
The state Cabinet had approved the Meghalaya Taxi Aggregator Operational Rules to regulate the two-wheeler taxi aggregators operating in the state.
Addressing the media, Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma had said, “The Act was passed a very long time back in 2020 but the rules were not framed and hence we have finally framed the rules.”
As per the rules, basic license fee for individuals or company aggregators will be Rs 700 per year per vehicle and permit fee will be Rs 300, if they are to operate from a specific location which means the city or district or region and if they are to operate throughout the state then the amount will be Rs 1300 as license fee and Rs 200 as permit, he said.
The government has also finalised the rates for passenger fare. The proposed fare is Rs 10 for the first kilometre and Rs 5 for subsequent kilometres and a holding charge of Rs 4 for every 5 minutes. This has also been finalised for bike taxis.
The CM had said the taxi aggregators should also ensure they have a proper app, GPS, registration etc.
“The identification of the driver should be available and safety measures should be followed in every bike, so all those aspects have been put in the Meghalaya Taxi Aggregator Operational Rules.”
According to him, action will be taken if they are over charging the passengers.
However, in Meghalaya, since most passengers are not familiar with using the app they prefer to ask for the rider’s mobile number as they feel it is easier to speak to someone than use an app. Elsewhere in the metros, passengers cannot be asked to cancel a rise and pay the amount charged by the rider. Passengers should know that using the app is secure for them since it contains all the details of the rider and the charges.