Dread surge pricing? Brace for some really bad news.
According to reports, the new set of regulations for cab aggregators like Ola and Uber allow them to charge up to 3X the minimum fare in the day and four times the fare at night.
The cab aggregators will have to share their minimum fare with the state transport departments for approval. The firms will be able to charge 4X fares between midnight and 5 am.
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Earlier this year, the Delhi High Court had directed app-based taxi services like Ola, Uber and others not to implement surge pricing in the National Capital Region from 22 August.
The court had directed the app-based cab services to follow the government-prescribed rates. According to the price slabs laid down by the government, the fare for an economy radio taxi is Rs 12.50 per km, while it is Rs 14 per km for non-AC black-and-yellow taxis and Rs 16 per km for AC black-and-yellow cabs.
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But the government’s new rules allow Ola and Uber to go beyond their existing surge levels (going up to 2X is legit right now).
Not sure if it will help both the companies in question, especially when users were coming aboard because of their price benefits. We have reached out to Ola to hear their views on the new regulations, and how they plan to bring them into action. But we are yet to hear back from them – and we’ll update the story if they do, so watch this space.
The question is, will you still prefer hailing an Ola/Uber if the price goes as high as 4X? Guess we already know the answer to that.
(Source: The Times of India)
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