Uber bike taxis still plying illegally in Chandigarh

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, September 11

Almost 25 days after Chandigarh Tribune had highlighted the issue of Uber taxis flouting norms and operating illegally without the required permits in the city, it is business as usual for the Uber Moto driver partners.

It is to be noted that the permits only allow them to ply their two-wheeler taxis in the Mohali area, including Zirakpur and Kharar. In Panchkula, the servers of Uber are not even operational.

Even though the drivers are compensated by Uber in case they are issued a challan, the drivers said that the ‘fear’ of being issued a ticket was always on their mind.

Suresh, an Uber driver, said he had switched from driving a cab to a bike because of higher margins in bikes. “Uber is giving a ‘boost’ payout package where drivers can earn 1.8 times more per ride. So, I decided to switch to drive an Uber bike,” he said

He said to evade the police, he had sprayed colour black on his Uber helmet, which was orange in colour and had an Uber logo on it earlier.

Paramjit, another Uber Moto driver, said: “The company (Uber) has informed that we can show the challan ticket at the office and get compensated if the vehicle is impounded. But, what about the days lost till the vehicle is with the police. I will have to sit idle for that time.”

He added, “Sometimes, the police officials ask for a bribe of Rs 200- Rs 300. After all the expenses, I am left with only Rs 400 for a day. I cannot afford to pay a bribe. ”

Another driver said the company had been giving assurances to the drivers that they would soon get the required permits.

A senior official of the State Transport Authority (STA) said they had issued challans to about 10-12 bike taxis a few weeks back but he was unaware about the recent estimate and action taken against the illegally plying bike taxis.

When contacted, Uber spokesperson said “We remain committed to serving the city, ensuring driver partners can continue to access a stable income, while giving riders a convenient, reliable uberMOTO ride to get around Mohali, Kharar, Zirakpur and adjoining areas. We continue to engage with the Chandigarh administration towards securing all the necessary approvals to allow for MOTO to be scaled across this ‘city beautiful’. We are working with the authorities and fully supporting our affected driver partners towards ensuring that all outstanding issues are resolved at the earliest. With the launch of MOTO in Punjab, enabled by the progressive regulations of the Punjab government, we are hopeful of being able to demonstrate a workable model for the consideration of the Chandigarh authorities and ensure that we can contribute our bit to keep Chandigarh moving.”