Magaluru: Those operating taxis and maxi cabs, who were hoping to recover from the losses incurred due to the pandemic this festive season, are severely hit due to the rise in fuel prices.
Anand K, general secretary, Dakshina Kannada Taximen and Maxicab Association, told TOI, “The pandemic has hit us really hard, and many taxi and maxi cab owners are struggling to pay loans. Many drivers have shifted to other professions. We were expecting business to take off this festive season from Dasara onwards, as people have started travelling around, especially to temples in and across the state. However, business is not happening on expected lines. Customers, after an initial inquiry, generally tend to compare the fares with the last trip, and feel that travelling in their own vehicle, or borrowing a friend or relative’s vehicle works out cheaper. Though we do have a good number of inquiries, the same are not converted into business.”
The cabs too have increased their fares. He said that cabs that used to charge Rs 2,500 per day, have increased the fares to Rs 3,000 per day for 250 km, which is a minimum distance that a consumer has to pay for, whether they cover the distance or not. The earlier fares were fixed when diesel cost Rs 60 per litre, Anand said.
“We recently met the commissioner of transport with a request to fix the fares through the District Road Transport Authority (RTA). However, though that may not be possible, the commissioner has assured to look into various problems that we shared with him. We hope the government takes measures to crack down on own-board (white number plate) vehicles that are used as taxis. This is further adding to the crisis of taxi owners. Private vehicles are deliberately being rented out to taxi services by owners for making money, and in case of an accident, the insurance claim will certainly be an issue,” he said.
The association has also requested the authorities at the Mangaluru International Airport to reduce the parking fees. There are nearly 2,600 members with about 5,000 vehicles in the association.
Anand K, general secretary, Dakshina Kannada Taximen and Maxicab Association, told TOI, “The pandemic has hit us really hard, and many taxi and maxi cab owners are struggling to pay loans. Many drivers have shifted to other professions. We were expecting business to take off this festive season from Dasara onwards, as people have started travelling around, especially to temples in and across the state. However, business is not happening on expected lines. Customers, after an initial inquiry, generally tend to compare the fares with the last trip, and feel that travelling in their own vehicle, or borrowing a friend or relative’s vehicle works out cheaper. Though we do have a good number of inquiries, the same are not converted into business.”
The cabs too have increased their fares. He said that cabs that used to charge Rs 2,500 per day, have increased the fares to Rs 3,000 per day for 250 km, which is a minimum distance that a consumer has to pay for, whether they cover the distance or not. The earlier fares were fixed when diesel cost Rs 60 per litre, Anand said.
“We recently met the commissioner of transport with a request to fix the fares through the District Road Transport Authority (RTA). However, though that may not be possible, the commissioner has assured to look into various problems that we shared with him. We hope the government takes measures to crack down on own-board (white number plate) vehicles that are used as taxis. This is further adding to the crisis of taxi owners. Private vehicles are deliberately being rented out to taxi services by owners for making money, and in case of an accident, the insurance claim will certainly be an issue,” he said.
The association has also requested the authorities at the Mangaluru International Airport to reduce the parking fees. There are nearly 2,600 members with about 5,000 vehicles in the association.
