‘Goa flight cheaper than my app ride to Dombivli’ | Mumbai News – Times of India

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MUMBAI: “Flight to Goa is cheaper than my ride home #peakMumbairains”, tweeted a passenger of an aggregator cab recently as the journey fare displayed on his app was Rs 3,041 for a hatchback, Rs 4,081 for a sedan and Rs 5,159 for an SUV.
The passenger, Shravankumar Suvarna, had booked an Uber cab from Prabhadevi to go towards Dombivli, and his message went viral, with Netizens opposing huge surge prices by aggregators. Asked for comment, Uber officials did not issue any statement till the time of going to press.
Sources in aggregator firms said surge price was an algorithm which was like a dynamic fare which depended on supply vis-a-vis demand. “Since the rider was booking a cab in the rain, when demand is high, but supply low, the surge price kicks in,” sources said. The rider was trying to book a cab around 9.30 pm on June 30.
A few passengers TOI spoke to said that lately there have been similar cases wherein the surge price was over Rs 1,000 for rides after midnight. “Many of us depend on the aggregator cab for journeys late at night, and surge prices leave us fuming. If you are lucky, you might get a normal fare, but not always,” said a regular cab user, not wishing to be named.
The tweet on hefty surge price invited a lot of comment from citizens. Some said they will now switch from cab rides to public transport such as trains and buses.
Riders have demanded a ceiling on maximum fare for any journey. The transport department recently introduced a licence for aggregator cab firms under which it will have to follow central government guidelines that cap fares at 1.5 times the base fare.
The implementation of these guidelines are on hold in the state as the matter is now in Supreme court, sources said.
A transport official said: “We planned to regulate operations of Ola and Uber by bringing in licence system.” Mumbai Metropolitan Region Transport Authority had issued provisional licences to Ola Cab and Uber, and to Meru Mobility and Mahindra Logistics Ltd to run aggregator cabs in Mumbai region from April. The firms were asked to comply with central guidelines -such as setting up 24×7 commuter helplines, commuter redress system, panic button, vehicle tracking system, simulator-based training for drivers- – else face suspension of licence. But Uber approached Supreme court, and the implementation is on hold by the state.

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