Policy to regulate app cabs deferred

NEWDELHI: The long-awaited policy to regulate app-based taxi aggregators in the national Capital has been deferred again. The Delhi government has now asked the transport department to “compare” the policy with other states that have similar schemes in place.

The high-powered committee headed by urban development minister Satyendar Jain that met on Tuesday asked the department to study taxi policies implemented by Maharashtra and Karnataka.

The policy to regulate cabs such as Ola and Uber has been lying with the committee for the past seven months. The committee, constituted on January 3 this year, was supposed to submit its recommendations within 10 days.

“The recommendations were discussed. The committee suggested comparing the policy with other states that have already implemented it. The department has been told to compare the policies and present it for discussion next week,” said a source in the Delhi government.

Bangalore had banned cabsharing after the Karnataka government framed a policy to regulate app-based taxis.

The committee had held only two-three meetings to discuss the draft policy. The committee comprises Jain, transport minister Kailash Gahlot, chief secretary Anshu Prakash and AAP leader Ashish Khetan.

The committee was formed to give its recommendations on licensing and regulation of appbased aggregators, the city taxi scheme and app-based AC bus service.

The department had sent the file to the committee last December after making changes as asked.

“The file was approved and sent to transport minister Kailash Gahlot last December after which it was also vetted by the law department. It has since been pending with the panel,” sources said.

The Delhi High Court in 2016 had asked the government to formulate the policy at the soonest to ensure the security of women as well as to stop surge pricing for passengers.