Governments to bring bill to control Ola and Uber soon: Nitin Gadkari

In view of recurring controversies over regulation of cab aggregators, the Centre is preparing a legislation to bring them under its supervision.

Union minister for road transport and highways Nitin Gadkari said that the bill could be tabled before the Union Cabinet soon.

During the Question Hour in the Rajya Sabha, Mr Gadkari said under the present provisions of the “outdated” Motor Vehicles Act, there is not much regulatory control over taxi aggregators like Ola and Uber. He said the issue falls in the concurrent list and the Centre has worked with the state governments to resolve all issues regarding the pending legislation.

Mr Gadkari said the proposed legislation would deal with various provisions, including verification of drivers, installation of GPS and others.

Mr Gadkari suggested that the proposed bill may categorise services of taxis up to 1,200cc differently, as compared to luxury vehicles like Mercedes plying as taxis. Mr Gadkari also told the House that he had sought a report from a committee headed by secretary of his ministry in a month’s time. This committee will recommend guidelines to the states for regulating the taxi aggregators and taxis to facilitate citizens, he said.