A committee appointed by the Maharashtra government has put forth a suggestion that drivers working for ride-hailing services such as Uber and Ola should be penalized with fines ranging from ₹50 to ₹75 for each ride cancellation. This fine would then be refunded to the affected passenger. This proposed change, pending government approval, would reverse the current practice where passengers bear the brunt of cancellation charges, according to a report by HT.
Chaired by retired bureaucrat Sudhirkumar Shrivastava, the committee has also recommended that taxis be held to a maximum waiting time of 20 minutes to reach the designated pickup point. Delays beyond this time frame would incur fines. Established in April, this committee is on track to submit its final report soon, seeking the necessary endorsement. Furthermore, the committee has put forth the idea that regional transport offices should be empowered to remove aggregator cabs from service if they are found to be in suboptimal condition.
For a while now, passengers have expressed their dissatisfaction with ride cancellations by drivers of ride-hailing platforms after confirming bookings. The wait times for these services have increased, particularly during peak hours, with delays of 6-10 minutes or even longer. As per the recommendations, passengers using online ride-hailing services like Uber and Ola would be entitled to a refund in case a driver cancels their booked ride.
The proposed regulations are consistent with the Motor Vehicle Aggregators Guidelines 2020, released by the Union Ministry for Road Transport and Highways, which instructs all states to implement similar rules. The committee has also tackled other issues such as fare standardization, driver training, and background checks.
An official stated, “The measures taken are not publicly disclosed, and the Regional Transport Office could be granted the authority to take appropriate actions.” As of now, Uber and Ola have not provided comments on these recommendations. Shirish Deshpande, a lawyer representing Mumbai Grahak Panchayat, a consumer advocacy group, expressed, “We will embrace this decision when it becomes effective. The government should clarify the refund process for the passenger, considering they are engaging with the ride-hailing platform.” Deshpande further added, “Ideally, such a refund should be seamlessly integrated into the system,” as reported by HT.
