Maxicabserviceslikelytobeauthorisedinstate
The transport department of the state government is now eyeing options to make the maxi cab services officially ply on the roads of Maharashtra.
Maxi cabs are mini 10-12 seater vans that provide shuttle taxi service to commuters. These vans run majorly in the satellite cities and rural districts of the state and most of the routes are not approved by the Regional Transport Office (RTO).
The state government has been tr ying to give official status to the maxi cabs since the 2000s. However, the proposal has been heavily resisted by Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC) as they fear the cab services will heavily affect the state-owned transport body. Earlier in 2001, the MSRTC called for a strike to oppose the legalisation of maxi cabs. Since then the proposal had been kept on hold and a separate committee for the cabs was formed by the state department of transport. On Wednesday in a high-profile transport committee meeting chaired by state Transport Minister Anil Parab the possibility of running maxi cabs officially on city roads has been discussed.
According to sources in the transport body, the state is also exploring the options of running these taxis in a public-private partnership.
"The committee has suggested that these cabs could be run in a regulated manner where the routes could be controlled by the transport department so that it doesn't affect the revenue of MSRTC," said an official. "Also these cabs will only be pressed into service in the routes where there are no MSRTC buses," the official added.
The transport minister has asked the panel to prepare a detailed report by studying various issues like - passenger footfall, transport facilities and submit it to the committee in two months.
Alongside this, the possibility of reducing passenger tax for bringing down existing bus fares was also discussed in the meeting.
According to sources in the transport body, the state is also exploring the options of running these taxis in a public-private partnership