Now you reach your destination (provided you get a cab in the first place) and what do you do ? Ask White or Khaki 'Bhaiya' how much, juggle your wallet till he reverently holds up his tariff card and looks up the fare in a card so tattered and folded so many times that it looks like some parchment from a long forgotten age with a treasure map ? Just pay the amount quoted and Jump out ?
Mostly everyone does. No one bothers to look at the date of the tariff card or even cares to see if its been approved by the RTO or wither its just a cheap fake. That makes the tariff card a real treasure map for the taxi drivers and you a fool. (Ref - A fool and his money are easily parted.)
The Mumbai Regional Transport Office (RTO) had issued new tariff cards for taxis in April 2007. But, till today taxis continue to ply passengers using the old tariff cards. Using the old tariff card is an offence under the Motor Vehicles Act inviting a fine of Rs 500- 2500, along with the suspension of the driver’s license.
“The yellow taxi tariff card was introduced in April 2007 because most of the taxis were converted to compressed natural gas, which is cheaper than petrol. Hence, we reduced the fares by 50p,” says an RTO official.
Inspite of official tariff cards been introduced taxi drivers continue to use the old tariff cards. Most of us are unaware of the fact that we are being looted in broad daylight.
A brief insight into this fraud will show you the actual picture. Mr. Kumar, a taxi driver, upon inquiry explains this fraud, “A minimum distance of 200 kms can fetch me an amount of Rs 100. On an average a cab travels at least 200 - 500 kilometers in a span of eight hours. So using an old tariff card would amount to at least Rs 100-250 per day and Rs 3,000-7,000 per month.” And cheat you out of the same amount.
Earlier the minimum fare was Rs 13 for every 1.6 km and Rs 8.50p for every subsequent kilometer. The new tariff cards have the same minimum fare and for every subsequent kilometer the fare is Rs 8. In other words, if a taxi driver uses the old tariff card for a distance of two kilometer km he earns around 50p and for 10 kilometers around Rs 5. The cumulative money he earns hence depends on the distance traveled.
In order to make sure that you’re not being cheated, remember that an authentic tariff card bears the Regional Transport Authority’s (RTA) stamp along with the chairman’s and the secretary’s signature, one which is pale yellow in color.
What can the layman do in case he finds himself in a situation like this? The RTO official responds, ”If a taxi driver charges a wrong fare, or refuses to take you to your destination, a complaint can be registered against him mentioning his taxi number, the date, time, place, and the nature of the offense at the RTO of his respective area (Tardeo, Wadala or Andheri).
The complaint can even be lodged through our website www.rtomumbaicentral.com.
An independent inquiry will be carried out and if required his license will be suspended.”
Even better would be to print out the RTO tarrif card form the site and carry it in your wallet. http://www.rtomumbaicentral.org/About_Us.aspx
AND PLEASE NOTICE RTO IS NOT WITHOUT ITS FAULTS EITHER --- THE MIDNIGHT FARE FOR METER READING 9.30 SHOWS 1154.50 INSTEAD OF 154.50
Print out your copy and Save your money --- sure, I wouldn't mind receiving a gift out of the savings LOL
Let’s hope the traffic rules are implemented stringently and don’t get stuck in a traffic jam.---Cheers !!
3 comments:
This was very infor mative dr. rishi keep up the good work man !!
This is a very nice post. I had never ever checked the authenticity of the Meter card.
Thanks man, have printed out the meter card fro,m the link
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