Taxis in Kohima flout RTA rates

Our Correspondent

Kohima, Sep. 8 (EMN): Taxis in Kohima continue to charge fares higher than the revised rates issued by the Regional Transport Authority (RTA).

Few district administrations have started issuing new SOPs and fixing temporary fares for the commercial passenger vehicles. However, many cabs in the state capital continue to defy the new instructions given by the authority.

In view of the pandemic, the RTA had issued an SOP allowing only three passengers in a taxi, with INR 25 as fare per passenger.

However, the taxis ferrying passengers in the town area were openly charging INR 50 against the revised fare of INR 25. The drivers were refusing to carry passengers for a town trip even for INR 30.

The authority had warned that taxi drivers violating the order would be penalised as per relevant provisions under the Motor Vehicles Act.

Eastern Mirror has been reporting about the exorbitant fares charged by taxi drivers across every state, and it was learned that passengers were paying excessive fares to taxi drivers during the lockdown.

While the cabs continue to break the authority’s order, the city buses also began to operate its service after five months since the onset of Covid-19 lockdown.

However, the buses, unlike the taxis, were seen plying in compliance with the latest guideline.

Buses were seen ferrying limited passengers according to the new set of directives. However, each passenger travelling in a bus has to pay INR 20, which has been enhanced temporarily from INR 10 by the authority.