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Drivers' unions oppose allowing white-plate vehicles as taxis under aggregator

The Telangana Four Wheel Drivers Association said using one's own personal vehicle for commercial purpose is an unacceptable trade practice

Hyderabad: Taxi-plate cab drivers are irritated over the new policy introduced by the Centre on March 11, allowing white-plate vehicles to be used as taxies when they function are part of an aggregator.

Hyderabad has an estimated 1.25 lakh taxis. Unions of taxi drivers and owners raised their objection to this decision as only yellow-plate vehicles had been allowed to be used for commercial purpose so far. Taxi unions say they paid huge road tax, fitness and insurance fees, and hence deserved exclusive treatment in the running of cabs for commercial purposes.

The Telangana Four Wheel Drivers Association said using one’s own personal vehicle for commercial purpose is an unacceptable trade practice. This will affect the revenue of registered taxi operators. “The yellow plate taxi vehicles will be paying road tax quarterly every year. All those in this business will be jobless once the government allows white plate vehicles to run as taxis,” they say.

Faheemuddin of the Telangana Gig and Platform Workers Union said, “After the nationwide lockdown, most of the taxi-drivers are suffering because of reduced earnings, and they are facing difficulty for paying the EMIs. The fuel prices are soaring, and this government is allowing white-plate vehicles to eat into our earnings.”

He said that, sadly, this happened at a time when taxi drivers were asking the government to announce a monitory package for them to rescue them from the present dire straits.

( Source : Deccan Chronicle. )
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