By Our Reporter
SHILLONG, Dec 1: The public transport system in Shillong appears to have been stuck in a rut.
A large section of the population in the city is dependent on local taxis, arguably the most popular form of public transport. On the flip side, a cab can carry a fifth or sixth of the number of passengers a minibus does.
Almost all cabbies are charging fares revised upwardly during the COVID-19 pandemic. Hardly anyone complains about the high rates and the tendency of the cabbies to squeeze in more than a taxi can accommodate. While Rapido two-wheelers have been an option for quite some time now, a few youths have recently started their e-bike service at Nongthymmai, Police Bazaar, and a few other points. These e-bikes are reportedly unregulated.
Commuters say the government could have addressed public transport issues had it efficiently handled the SPTS buses and maxi cabs started more than a decade ago. Transport Department officials said there are no plans to introduce taxis under aggregators such as Ola and Uber because of apprehensions that the livelihood of the cabbies would be affected.
A contrarian view is that more cab services would offer more opportunities for self-employment.
