Cab aggregators want separate law

BENGALURU: Delhi has asked cab aggregators to obtain licences under radio taxi laws. And Kolkata wants them to register under the Information Technology Act 2000. The Karnataka government wants to go the Delhi way but aggregators want a separate law for themselves. Transport commissioner Rame Gowda said, "In Delhi, aggregators have been asked to obtain an operational licence and register under the radio taxi category. In Karnataka too, we directed these companies to register as radio taxi companies." In Delhi, cab aggregators are falling in line after the high court came down heavily when they continued operating despite the ban. A few obtained licences under the radio taxi laws recently, as mandated by the Delhi transport department. The ministry of road transport and highways said the onus of bringing companies under radio taxi laws lies solely with state authorities. Sanjay Bandhopadhyay, joint secretary, road transport ministry, said, "The companies may consider themselves tech companies. But in Delhi, we've considered them as cab operators. State authorities have the liberty to make them abide by state laws. In Karnataka, the government can decide whether to club these aggregators under the radio taxi category or not." But aggregators claim they're registered as a tech platform under the Companies Act and don't fall under the radio taxi category. These companies don't own vehicles but partner with drivers who own the vehicles. Raghunandan G, co-founder and CEO, Taxiforsure said as a company it's not against obeying the law of the land but they cannot be clubbed under radio taxis. "We're working with regulatory bodies at various levels to frame rules separately for cab aggreg ators. We're a technology platform and we don't own vehicles as is the case with radio taxi companies. We only want a separate law for cab aggregators and not be categorized as radio taxi firms," he said. The Karnataka transport department banned Uber, Taxiforsure and Zoomcar on December 11, 2014 following a directive from the ministry of home affairs. However, no official communication has been issued on the ban and cab services continue to operate. -TOI