Commuting by cab, including app-based rides run by Ola and Uber, may soon end up getting more expensive, thanks to higher fares mooted in both Pune and Pimpri Chinchwad in Maharashtra.
The Pune Regional Transport Office (RTO), in consultation with cab associations and other stakeholders, will send a proposal on November 12 to the Regional Transport Authority (RTA) to fix the fare of air-conditioned cabs in both cities to INR 39 for the first 1.5 km and INR 26 for every subsequent km of travel. The RTA is headed by the district collector.
“In October this year, there was a one-day protest by cab drivers against low per km charges in Pune. Associations said that per km rates have not been fixed in Pune, unlike Mumbai. Since then, we have been trying to fix the rates as per the regulations of the Khatua Committee,” Pune’s regional transport officer, Sanjiv Bhor, told TOI.
Providing a comprehensive update on the progress of the project, Union Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari said in the Lok Sabha on Wednesday that the first stretch, from Hoskote to Malur (26.4 km), at a project cost of INR 2,761.12 crore commenced on September 15, 2021. It is likely to end on March 31, 2024, with the current progress standing at 77.12 per cent.
At present, cabs are given a per km fare of anything between INR 9 and INR 12, which is even lower than the per km charges of autorickshaws.
“When fares of autorickshaws were revised, new rates for black and yellow cabs had also been fixed. However, the black and yellow cabs don’t operate in Pune. As per recommendations of the Khatua Committee, rates of non-AC cabs have been fixed at INR 31 for the first 1.5 km and INR 21 for every following km. For AC cabs, there will be a 25% increase in both fare slabs. We showed the calculation to all the associations and they were convinced. The new fares will become applicable as soon as the RTA approves of them,” Bhor added.
The registration of cabs has recorded a massive increase in both Pune and Pimpri Chinchwad. In 2023 till date, a total of 8,130 cabs have been registered in Pune. The city has more than 45,000 cabs registered as of today. In Pimpri Chinchwad, registrations in 2023 till date stand at around 5,000 and around 23,000 cabs have been registered in the twin cities until now.
