The MMRTA has given two months between October 1 to November 30 for the recalibration of fare metres installed in taxis and autorickshaws
Those who travel using the black and yellow taxis in Mumbai will have to shell out more for the services in the coming days. The same will also apply to those who travel using autorickshaws. This is due to new fares that are set to come into effect from October 1, 2022, and are higher by Rs 3 for black and yellow taxis and Rs 2 for autorickshaws as per the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Transport Authority (MMRTA). This price hike will be applied to the minimum fare for both public transport systems.
The minimum fare for a distance of 1.5 km for kaali-peeli taxis has been hiked to Rs 28 from Rs 25 and the same to Rs 23 from Rs 21 for auto-rickshaws. “Beyond this minimum flag down distance, passengers will have to pay Rs 18.66 per km instead of Rs 16.93 per km for taxis and Rs 15.33 a km instead of 14.20 (per km) for auto-rickshaws,” the release said. The decision to hike the fares was taken in the MMRTA meeting chaired by the Maharashtra transport secretary on Monday. But it was announced only after the minutes of the meeting were signed. The existing fare for around 60,000 taxis and about 4.6 lakh auto-rickshaws in MMR has been in force since March 1, 2021. The new rates will be applicable for petrol as well as CNG-operated taxis, the MMRTA said.
The taxi and auto rickshaw fares were revised as CNG price was hiked to Rs 80 per kg from Rs 49.40 per kg on March 1, 2021, besides the rising cost of living, inflation and other factors, it stated. The minimum distance fare of blue-silver ‘Cool’ cab taxis is hiked to Rs 40 per km from Rs 33 per km, and thereafter the per km fare of these cabs will be Rs 26.71. As per the release, the MMRTA has given two months between October 1 to November 30 for the recalibration of fare metres installed in taxis and auto rickshaws.
While the decision to hike the fares has been taken, it will be interesting to see the impact of this hike on the business for the operators of black and yellow taxis as well as for the users who rely on these services for daily commute.
(With PTI Inputs)
