Minister instructs Karnataka's transport department to cancel auto permits, book cases for illegal fare charges

Time of India

18 hours ago

Bengaluru: Almost two weeks after public anguish over the exorbitant rise in auto fares following the ban on bike-taxi operations in the state, transport minister Ramalinga Reddy Saturday instructed the transport commissioner to take action against ride-hailing mobile apps and regular autos if they are found charging illegal fares.
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Instructions have been given to transport department officials to cancel auto permits and book cases for illegal fare charges.
Interestingly, the direction came from the minister hours after #stepdowntransportminister was trending on social media platform X over the ban on bike taxis.
Ramalinga Reddy told TOI he himself has received complaints from the public over auto drivers and aggregators charging exorbitant fares.
The letter addressed to the transport commissioner states that on June 18, 2025, the ride-hailing mobile app Rapido was charging Rs 100.9 per km. "This kind of daylight robbery is unpardonable and strict action should be taken," the letter states.
Reddy cited ride-hailing apps as the reason for exorbitant fares being charged. "A majority of auto drivers have attached their vehicles with ride-hailing apps. These apps, instead of following fare rules of the govt, are charging higher auto fares and other fees," he said, adding: "Enforcement staff will identify irregularities and take action.
No auto drivers should collect more fare from passenger."
On the trending hashtag, the minister said, "We've acted against bike-taxi operations as per the high court order. On social media, people do make comments about the decision taken by authorities, I don't have much to say about that. Earlier, bike-taxi operations were illegally operated. It is to say that the state govt does not support illegal operations."
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Following the letter from the minister, transport commissioner Yogeesh AM told TOI that enforcement officials have been asked to act on the illegal collection of fares. "When customers street hail an auto, the driver should charge the fare as fixed by the regional transport authority. Ride-hailing apps can charge a 10% service tax in addition to the fares fixed by RTA. Other fees and charges on customers are illegal.
" As per the last revision in 2022, RTA has fixed Rs 30 for the first 2km and Rs 15 per km thereafter
Multiple fees make commuting expensive
Ever since bike-taxis were banned in the city, mobile apps and auto drivers have been fleecing the general public without any regard for rules. In addition to paying a digital tip to lure auto drivers to accept the booking, the customers are forced to pay a congestion charge, pick-up fee, driver additional fee, and others.
The digital tip just to book an auto ranges from Rs 10 to Rs 100. If a customer agrees to pay a lesser amount of tip, then a message pops up suggesting more tip to get an auto booked.
Urban mobility expert Satya Arikutharam said, "It is basically unethical to force a passenger to pay a certain amount of tip while booking an auto. Usually, a customer pays the tip voluntarily after the delivery of the service; this is the custom everybody is accustomed to.
What is happening here in the name of innovation is that aggregators are trying to become cheeky and creative. When I spoke to the drivers, they were unaware that aggregators are asking for the tip in their name.
Union minister Pralhad Joshi has referred the case of advancing tipping to central consumer protection authority (CCPA) for investigation." He added aggregators not complying with the high court orders on charging fares for mobile-app-based services is a matter of concern.