The Aam Aadmi Party led by Arvind Kejriwal is likely to once again come up with an unpopular decision which is aimed at increasing troubles for the middle class commuters. In a meeting attended by Delhi’s Public Works Department Minister Satyendra Jain and Transport Minister Kailash Gahlot it has almost been decided that app based taxi companies such as Ola and Uber will not be allowed to offer shared cab services inside Delhi, as it is legally not allowed for cabs in Delhi to drop and pick up multiple passengers. While the final decision on this issue is yet to be taken but the government meeting held to look into the policies framed under the transport departments- City Taxi Scheme 2017 which most likely is going to ban Ola and Uber from offering shared cabs inside city limits. The meeting attended by Satyendra Jain and Kailash Gahlot was organised with the intent to deliberate, vet and finalize the policies proposed under the new scheme by the transport department.
Car pooling is being encouraged throughout the world to lessen the impact of pollution from vehicles on the environment, Delhi however might go the opposite way anytime. Shared cabs don’t just offer a cleaner alternative but also a pocket friendly one to the price conscious commuters. Sealing the fate of cab sharing in Delhi will have a negative impact on the people and the business of companies like Ola and Uber. It will also lead to increased expenses on the part of the commuters but will also lead to more vehicles plying on the road at any given time leading to increased jams and pollution. While public transport vehicles such as buses are allowed to pick and drop multiple passengers in the national capital the same facility is not available for cabs and taxis. The AAP government in Delhi is all set to implement rules which will allow them to pick customers from one location and drop them off to another.
Under the new City Taxi Scheme installation of GPS and panic button on taxis will now become mandatory. While GPS installation will make the identification of various cabs operating in the cab easier the panic button will also help in curbing the instances of misconduct and planned assault on the commuters. The addition of these measures makes sense but it is entirely stupid to scrap the sharing of taxis in a city which is already facing huge problems of pollution and traffic jams due to the increasing populations. Not only will this move have an impact on the monetary health of the citizens but also on the physical health of the residents of Delhi. AAP is once again going ahead with a senseless plan which is suited to benefit no one, AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal’s overhyped Odd-Even formula met with a tragic end and so will this after facing backlash from the public of Delhi. Meanwhile, this move when implemented is going to have a severe impact on the citizens and the vote banks of AAP and for that reason alone Kejriwal and AAP need to be wary of making this move.
