The road transport ministry has allowed cab aggregators to charge up to two times the base fare during peak hours, as against 1.5 times earlier, while for non-peak hours the fare has to be a minimum of 50 per cent of the base fare.
Two of the three strikes are related to the gig economy, a centrepiece of the new labour Codes.
'We serve more than 1.2 billion trips annually and have over 1.5 million active earners each month using the platform.'
While some states have proposed to dilute the hefty penalty provisions in the Act, there are those like West Bengal which have refused to implement right away.
Rapido - one of the largest players in the bike taxi commute business - says the new guidelines released by the central government on July 1, permitting "non-transport motorcycles" for aggregators, no longer give states the option of rejecting the revised policy.
While mobility aggregators such as Rapido and Uber have welcomed the decision, gig workers associations and unions remain concerned.
Regarding road safety, stricter provisions have been proposed for offences like juvenile driving, driving without licence, dangerous driving, drunken driving, over-speeding and overloading.
New norms issued as per the Motor Vehicle Aggregator Guidelines 2020 have mandated a cap on surge price, preventing aggregators from charging more than 1.5 times of the base fare.
The Supreme Court on Monday directed Uber to apply for a licence within three weeks to operate in Maharashtra, stressing that cab aggregators cannot function without one. A bench led by Chief Justice of India (CJI) D Y Chandrachud said that an earlier interim order by the Supreme Court that had allowed Uber to operate in the state would not provide legal cover, since an aggregator cannot operate without a licence. It ordered Uber to apply for a licence by March 6, said a report by Bar and Bench.
'Unless we consistently show up with the right cars, at the right time, priced fairly, we risk becoming irrelevant very quickly.'
The bench, which stayed the May 26 order of the Delhi HC, also recorded the Delhi government counsel's submission the final policy will be notified before July-end.
In many states, aggregators operate without a licence; in others, with the risk of the licence being revoked by any regional transport office on the slightest pretext.
Karnataka transport minister Ramalinga Reddy confirmed the development, stating that the companies must abide by the court's decision.
The HC, though, refrained from prohibiting such cabs from plying in the meanwhile saying it was aware such a move would adversely affect commuters.
Just a few weeks ago, the Centre has come out with the long-awaited Motor Vehicle Aggregator Guidelines, which have drawn a dismayed response from the companies concerned.
'Today, we have 2 million active drivers earning through our platform every month.'
The argument that existing rules do not apply to them will no longer hold ground.
Uber Technologies said it is doing a fresh round of recruitment for its India tech centres and is planning to hire 500 more tech employees by December. The app-based mobility and delivery company has a 1,000-member tech team across its centres in Hyderabad and Bengaluru. The firm said the hiring plan is a testament to Uber's commitment to India, and its recognition of the engineering talent in the country. Uber hired 250 engineers to its India teams in 2021.
'Our automakers export 50 per cent of what they manufacture and once the policy comes into play, which is in the next 2-3 years, we would become a Rs 10 trillion industry.'
In a major decision, Delhi government on Wednesday rejected fresh applications for licence by US-based taxi booking firm Uber and two other such service providers -- Ola and TaxiForSure.
While the cab aggregators offer incentives as they battle each other for more customers, drivers complain that their earnings have halved in the last six months. Alnoor Peermohamed reports.
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SpiceJet's ex promoter Ajay Singh is trying hard to pump in huge money into the airline.
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