Bengaluru, Jun 30: Even after the Karnataka government asked cab aggregators to stop their pool services immediately in Bengaluru, the Ola and Uber continued to offer the ride share option on their platforms in the weekend.
The ban on pool services was imposed during a closed-door meeting by the Karnataka Transport Department with the ride-hailing companies on Friday, June 28 on the ground that it violated the ‘Karnataka On Demand Transportation Technology Aggregators Rule, 2016’.
Officials contend that the service involves picking up and dropping passengers along a route, in a manner similar to city buses.
“In the city, only the Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation has a stage carriage licence to operate buses. Taxis can operate on-demand services from point A to B, but they are not allowed to pick or drop passengers en route. If ride share is provided from one point to another, we have no objections,” said Transport Commissioner V.P. Ikkeri. He added that a committee will be formed to look into the issue.
Commuters who depend on these services as they are low-cost and easily available are unhappy with this move and say that prefixed pick-up and drop-off points will not be convenient.
Abhijit, who depends on share-ride apps to commute from Baiyappanahalli metro station to his workplace on Old Madras Road, said, “Ride sharing is an affordable option for regular passengers. For ₹50, I can travel a distance of four kilometres. Many cities in other countries are promoting carpooling to bring down congestion on the roads, but our government has taken a regressive step.”
According to Mr. Ikkeri, the BMTC has been opposing ride share as it is affecting its business. “If we allow Ola and Uber to operate share ride in the city, other aggregators will approach us for operating taxis on similar lines,” he said.
Mr. Ikkeri reiterated that the Transport Department is not against share rides or car pooling, but they should be run in accordance with the rules.
“Niti Ayog, in its report, had spoken about encouraging car pooling in city limits to de-congest the roads. The central government had sought a response from the State government on the issue. We are waiting for guidelines from the central government.”
In January 2017, the department had asked Ola and Uber to stop the service. However, the two companies continue to offer the service.
Software engineer Navami R., who depends on shared rides, wants the department to make alternative provisions and ensure last-mile connectivity if it intends to crack down on the service. “Earlier, the government announced that BMTC will discontinue AC buses. Now, there’s a move to stop car pooling. The Transport Department is not keeping up with the times or the changing needs of the people. If there is no provision for car pooling, they should change the rules,” she said.
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