Radio Taxis set to roll out in 13 UP Cities

Decks were finally cleared for the rolling out of the radio taxi service in 13 cities of Uttar Pradesh. As the transport department finalized the salient features of the scheme on Thursday, transport commissioner Rajneesh Gupta said that the hallmark of the service would be a high level of reliability, safety and security.
Thirteen cities with municipal corporations will have the service. They include Lucknow, Kanpur, Agra, Allahabad, Varanasi, Jhansi, Aligarh, Ghaziabad, Meerut, Saharanpur, Moradabad, Bareilly and Gorakhpur. The service can start as soon as the department starts getting applications from operators.
The state transport authority (STA) has prepared the modalities and terms and conditions under which the scheme will be implemented and has come out with detailed guidelines to help interested operators to apply for grant of permits by the STA.
Though radio taxis will be available for local commuting within the city, if demanded by the passenger, vehicles can also be taken to destinations like airports or tourist spots which may be located beyond the municipal limits of the city. Taxis will be driven by trained drivers whose personal background and credentials will be verified by the police department. The photograph of the driver, his particulars along with details of the operator company will be displayed on the dashboard of the vehicle for the benefit of the passengers.
The service will be available round the clock. "They can be requisitioned at any time of day or night either by dialing the designated phone number of the operator's control room, or by hiring from the designated parking locations or even by flagging an empty one on the road," said Gupta. They will be fitted with GPS/GPRS for constant tracking. The billing would be done on per kilometer basis from origin to destination, on the rates specified by the government, for which the taxi will be equipped with electronic fare meters.
The government of UP had earlier issued a notification approving the salient features of the scheme and brought in the requisite amendments in the UP Motor Vehicles Rules that would pave the way for its implementation by the STA, the statutory body constituted under the chairmanship of the transport commissioner and having senior officers from the law and police department as members.