Taxis at par with Ola,Uber soon in J&K

Jammu: It appears that the day is not far off when cab services at par with OLA and UBER will start operations in twin capitals of Jammu and Srinagar, with two players bidding for running these services.
At present, the J&K Transport Department is securitizing the documents of two operators have applied for the taxi aggregator scheme for Jammu and Srinagar, before they are finally given approval to launch their operations.
The process got stalled due to some extent, due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, however with the improvement in situation, the Transport department is planning to roll out the services soon. Till date only local players have shown interest in running the App based Cab services in J&K.
J&K residents have been making the demand of introducing such services in the UT, as they are considered cheap, easily accessible and hassle free as compared to traditional Taxi operators. The traditional taxi operators are accused of overcharging and a commuter doesn’t have the choice to book cab of his choice, especially from Bus Stands, Railway Stations, Airport and they have to rely on the taxi stands which charge exorbitant fares. Also it is impossible to get cab services in J&K in the late hours, as the traditional taxis don’t operate during late hours.
The introduction on these cabs will also boost the tourism sector, as it is convenient to book cabs on the phones, with no human interaction.
As per a transport department official, two local companies have applied for run aggregated cab services in Jammu and Srinagar.
“In this, one company is from Jammu and the other from Srinagar. Both the companies have provided documents and other information related to the scheme. The department is investigating them. This process was delayed due to COVID, now the department will start this scheme soon,” he further said.
The process got stalled in the Srinagar as the post of RTO Srinagar is lying vacant, while the documents for permission to start services in Jammu are being securitized. The process which was affected by the Covid will be speeded up in the coming days.
After getting the approval of the Transport Department, he informed the companies will be able to start the service.
Under the scheme, the applicants are required to be in operation for at least three years, have valid GST and PAN besides a fleet of at least 50 taxies or autos, a developed MIS system or 24X7 control room or web- portal/mobile app for operation along with audited financial statements, and a registered office in the area of operation.
The license granted under these rules shall be valid for a period of five years and is subject to be suspended/cancelled by the licensing authority if the licensee fails to comply with any prescribed terms/conditions or any complaint against the licensee by any passenger has been proved.
Further, the rules provide that the fare charged by these digital cabs shall not be more than as notified by the Government and the license shall display the fare rate along with a fare rate estimator on the website/ internet-enabled app which will connect the licensee with drivers and passengers.

Updated On 7/29/2021 10:26:01 AM