MAY 15 IS LAST DATE TO TAKE ONLINE SURVEY ON TAXI FARES

The last date for Mumbaiites to take an online survey conducted by the state government on the city’s auto rickshaw, taxi fares and surge pricing by cab-hailing services has been extended by more than two weeks. Instead of the earlier deadline of April 30, the stateappointed Khatua committee has extended the last date to May 15.

According to a source, the committee will submit a report to the government by the end of June.

Residents can take the survey on https://transport.maharashtra.gov.in/1229/surveyfeedback-form.

The state government set up a committee headed by retired IAS officer BC Khatua for reviewing the taxi and auto rickshaw fare fixation formula derived by a singlemember Hakim Panel in 2012.

The committee had also been given a mandate for fixing an upper and lower limit for the fares of app-based taxis.

Khatua said that the committee has already talked to government officials, taxi and auto rickshaw unions and commuter groups at Pune, Nashik, Aurangabad, Nagpur and Ratnagiri, besides Mumbai. Now, before a final report is made, the committee wants feedback from passengers and drivers, besides unions.

“We want the peoples’ view too. We do not want residents to blame us for considering only the views of drivers, unions and a few others,” said Khatua.

For the online survey, the committee has come up with four sets of questions for passengers, taxi drivers, auto drivers and drivers’ unions. Khatua said the questions are in three languages — Marathi, Hindi and English.