The Karnataka High Court passed an interim order allowing online cab aggregators to offer autorickshaw services on their platforms on Friday, The Hindu reported. However, the aggregators can only charge 10% over the charges fixed by the government, in addition to GST. Also, the court directed the State government not to take any coercive action against the online cab aggregators. Background: Ola, Uber and Rapido had moved the High Court of Karnataka after the State government disallowed online cab aggregators from offering autorickshaw services in Bengaluru from Wednesday and even warned of a monetary penalty, Medianama reported. Transport Commissioner T.H.M. Kumar had cited surge pricing in auto fares as one of the reasons for taking action against the cab aggregators when the state had fixed fares for autos. The State government of Karnataka and cab aggregators also held a separate meeting earlier but were not able to resolve the issue. Important points to note: Justice M.G.S. Kamal had earlier told the government that the Central Government had come out with guidelines in 2020 that addressed issues regarding autorickshaw services and fares to be charged by the aggregators, in a scientific and technical manner, The Hindu reported. The court found that the Motor Vehicles Aggregator Guidelines (MVAG), 2020, lists autorickshaws, e-rickshaws, motor cabs, motorcycles and buses as vehicles that can be offered by cab aggregators, according to The Hindu. The government said it is open to looking at the matter while considering MVAG, 2020. The state government will come out with fixed…
