INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
Police claim to have taken action against 4,891cabbies in the past six months
Kathmandu, January 12
Despite police claim of taking action
against a large number of taxi drivers, who refused to provide service by turning fare-meter on, and fleeced passengers by charging fare
arbitrarily, people in Kathmandu valley hardly get chance to travel in a taxi with meter turned on.
Metropolitan Traffic Police Division
claimed it took action against 4,891 errant taxi drivers in the past six months for refusing to turn on meter, as per the complaints from
In 2018-19, police had taken action against 4,298 errant cabbies.
But, the police action seems to have no deterrent impact on cabbies as the
number of cabbies violating rules is continuously on the rise
All cabbies inside the Ring Road and maximum two kilometres outside the Ring Road are required to provide service on fare-meter, but very
few taxi drivers are found following the rule.
Out of the 12 taxi drivers THT inquired today around Anamnagar, Putalisadak, Bagbazaar,
Bhrikuti Mandap and around Bir Hospital area, only one agreed to provide service with the fare-meter turned on.
Taxi drivers refused to go
to areas such as Satdobato, Balaju Bypass, Lukunthali on fare-meter
Most of the taxi drivers upon request to turn on the fare-meter either asked for additional Rs 150 to 200 or refused to do so.
Traffic
Police, who promise to take immediate action against such taxi drivers, are helpless
Superintendent of Police Jeevan Kumar Shrestha at MTPD said the traffic police were ready to support the public and make the taxi drivers
Traffic police, in a bid to control errant cabbies, have started a ‘how much operation& since September 2015
The operation is focused on taking action against those taxi drivers who refuse to turn on fare-meter
Traffic police record since September 2015 showed that a total of 42,719 taxi drivers were booked on the same charge
There are around 11,000 taxis operating inside the Kathmandu valley currently
The record showed that one taxi was fined for at least 3.8 times on an average during the period.
Taxi drivers, however, express grievances
as they say the existing meter-fare fixed by the government cannot support their livelihood anymore.
Arjun Gautam, central member of
Federation of Nepalese National Transport Entrepreneurs Association said the existing meter-fare was almost 10 years old
&In these years, market inflation has grown over two folds, taxi market price has increased by three folds and so is the situation of spare
With ever-growing market price we cannot provide services as per 10 years old rules.& As per the rule, every taxi meter begins with Rs 39
once people book it, and additional Rs 14 is charged for each kilometre.
The post Cabbies continue fleecing passengers in Kathmandu valley
appeared first on The Himalayan Times.
