WB govt aims to regulate app cabs and bike taxi operators through these rules

The West Bengal government has recently mandated that bike taxis plying in the state must have commercial registration plates. Now the state government aims to regulate the app cab operators as well. Despite the norms being proposed more than one years ago for the sector, the app cab segment is still unregulated, which often leads to various complaints from the users, which include frequent surge pricing by the operators, denial by the drivers, unruly behaviour by the drivers, non-action by the operators against the complaints made by the consumers etc.

In a bid to address these concerns, the West Bengal government has mandated the app cab operators must have a functional office in the state capital Kolkata, where the consumers can register their complaints in case of any discrepancy. The government has also mandated the app cab operators to open a dedicated helpline for consumers. Also, if there is no police complaint against an app cab driver, his or her identification document can not be kept for more than 30 days.

Meanwhile, the app-cab driver associations have demanded the minimum fare for every kilometre be ₹25. They have also demanded that the app-cab companies' commission should not exceed 20 per cent of the total fare. The app-cab operators in the state have reportedly agreed to inform the government about the fare and operational details, claims a report by Anandabazar.

On Friday, the state transport secretary issued a notification stating that licences for the bike taxis will soon be issued from Kolkata, Howrah and Bidhannagar. As per a recent notification by the state government, the bike taxi operators can avail of a commercial registration for their vehicles from special camps that would be organised in different districts, from where five-year commercial registration for bike taxis will be issued at a cost of ₹1,000.