Odisha Formulates New Regulations For Cab Services

Bhubaneswar: The government of Odisha has put in place a new set of regulations for the state’s private cab service suppliers.

According to a notification from the Commerce and Transport Department, the taxi services that clients can book online through their websites, apps, or phone calls would be subject to the Odisha On-Demand Transportation Technology Aggregators Guidelines 2023. The laws will apply to companies that provide taxi services, including Ola, Uber, Rapido, and others.

These businesses must now pay a licence fee of at least Rs. 50,000 to the government in order to provide the services, as required by law. The fee for cab companies with fewer than 1,000 vehicles will be Rs. 1 lakh, and the fee for businesses with more than 1,000 vehicles would be Rs. 2.5 lakh. Renewal of the licence, which has a five-year validity period, costs Rs 25,000.

Stating that the guidelines aim at ensuring the safety and security of the passengers and cab drivers, the department stated that the drivers and owners of the vehicles should not be convicted in any drunk and drive case for at least 7 years.

They shouldn’t also be found guilty in cases involving fraud, sexual exploitation, and acts of violence. They shouldn’t have any judicial cases ongoing against them. They should have a two-year driver’s licence and proof of residence in Odisha.

The notification also states that the vehicles must feature GPS and panic buttons in addition to the need that the drivers are fluent in Odia.

Service providers must keep records of the people transported by their vehicles, the locations of the pick-up and destination, the distance travelled, and the payment of fares for at least a year so that the government can inspect them as needed.

A consumer should automatically receive the driver’s photo, mobile number, and vehicle registration information when booking a cab.

Cab businesses are required to pay the government a fee of Rs 1 per kilometre.

The electric vehicles are free from the levy, though. In addition, the notification indicated that the department will determine the prices to be paid by the clients and the split between the car and the drivers.