Despite ban, web cabs continue to run on city roads

Nikhil Bhardwaj

Tribune News Service

Jalandhar, December 19

Although the web cab service has been banned by the state government, the taxi service is continuing on city roads.

Due to laxity on part of the Transport Department, the unlicenced taxi service has been throwing all norms to the wind.

Two weeks after the Delhi rape incident by an Uber cab driver, the state Transport Department had decided to immediately shut down the web taxis in the state on the orders in this regard by the Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh. In a fax to the District Transport Officers (DTOs) across the state on December 18, the copy of which is with The Tribune, it has been mentioned, “Shut down all taxi services connected with Uber taxi and web-based taxi service providers which are not licenced with the state government should also be banned/prohibited till they get registered with the state government.”

Even the Regional Transport Authority (RTA) Gurmeet Singh and DTO Jalandhar had also confirmed the imposition of the ban.

Sonu Gulati, of Citi Cabs, a licenced taxi service provider, said although the state Transport Department had imposed a ban on web cabs, such taxis are still plying on city roads. “I have been noticing the web cabs namely ‘Taxiforsure’ running across the city even after the ban. Even though the Ola cab service providers have removed the web cab stickers from their cars, the same is also being operated. The booking of this service is still on,” Gulati said, adding that he would soon file a complaint with the regional transport authority on the issue.