Cab aggregators Ola and Uber have requested the transport department in Karnataka to increase the maximum fare chargeable to the customers to Rs 28 per kilometre reports Economic Times. Currently, the maximum fare that a cab aggregator can charge a customer is Rs 19. 50 for an air conditioned vehicle and Rs 14.50 for a non-air conditioned vehicle. These fares were fixed in April last year, after taxi aggregators were fleecing customers, with peak time or surge pricing, base ride fares as well as adding ride time fares into their rates. The Karnataka Transport department has set up a committee that consists of two joint transport commissioner as well as secretary of Bangalore Tourist Taxi Owners Association, Radhakrishna Holla to fix a minimum and maximum fare for the cab aggregators that will make sure that both drivers and customers get a reasonable cost. To attract more customers onto their platform and in the competition to win over each other, both Ola and Uber started offering rides to customers that were as low as Rs 4 per kilometre. This started making the drivers run into losses as and since the last two months drivers have been going on strikes and seeking government for better wages. B Dayananda, Transport Commissioner, told MediaNama that the department is awaiting the committee report on the same. "Regarding the cab aggregators demand, we have set up a committee to look at the fares. Once the committee comes out with a report we will announce and minimum and…
