Telangana taxi drivers raise red flag about private vehicles illegally plying as cabs

The taxi drivers’ association says that repeated complaints to the concerned department has yielded no results.
Private taxi
Private taxi
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With the Sankranthi season fast approaching, taxi drivers in the state are a worried lot. While on one hand the lack of special buses and trains owing to pandemic means good business for taxi drivers and the owners, the illegal plying of private vehicles as taxis has left taxi associations in the state fuming.

This year, due to the pandemic, not many public transport arrangements are being made for those planning to travel to their hometowns for the festive season. This comes as positive news for taxi owners and drivers who hope to make some money after months of low business. However, the taxi drivers and owners are really concerned about white board vehicles doubling up as taxis to make a quick buck during the peak season.

Shaik Salauddin Chairman of the Telangana state taxi and drivers Joint Action Committee (JAC) and Telangana four-wheeler drivers’ association feels that there is a significant increase in these illegal cab services every festive season, especially near Uppal, LB Nagar, Aramgarh, Gachibowli, BHEL cross roads and airport areas. Speaking about the issue he said, “Taxis have yellow number plates. We pay insurance, vehicle tax, road tax etc apart from the month EMI that we all pay. These private vehicles don’t pay any of these and end up plying as taxis. They get away with it as there are no checks being carried out by the road transport officials. They need to crack down on such illegal taxis.”

According to the association, such private vehicles plying as taxis need to be seized as they are being operated as taxis despite not having the necessary permissions. The registered cab drivers allege that despite several complaints to the authorities no action is being taken to curb the menace. According to the association, these illegal cabs are not only affecting the business of registered taxi drivers but are also a major risk to the safety of passengers.

“The life of the passengers who hire these vehicles is at risk because these drivers avoid official procedures to avoid paying additional road tax and permit charges at check posts. The insurance premium for a private vehicle is nearly half of that of commercial transport vehicles. This means that in case of an accident, the passengers travelling in the vehicles will not get any claim from insurance firms,” said Shaik Salauddin.

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