The Delhi High Court today suggested the city government to do away with the ban on app-based cab service providers, saying they cannot be blamed for illegal acts of the cab drivers, who were given all India permits (AIP) by the authorities concerned.
HC also told app-based taxi service provider Ola cabs that it was inclined to allow only CNG-based cabs to provide point to point service in the national capital.
If AIP was given to wrong person, he (OLA) is not to be blamed. You can’t put burden on him (OLA) if AIP was given to a criminal. The cross has to be borne by police and government. But CNG requirement has to be complied with. If it is point to point in Delhi, the cab has to run on CNG. I am very clear about it.
— Justice Manmohan
While appreciating app-based cabs services’ benefits, like presence of GPS for tracking purposes, reduction in number of private vehicles due to faster and cheaper availability of such taxis and their employment potential, the court said vehicles plying under this technology have to run on CNG.
The court was hearing a plea of ANI Technologies Pvt Ltd, a service provider under OLA brand is not amenable to the Delhi government’s recently modified Radio Taxi Scheme as cabs under it already have AIPs also cabs have also cabs only have to comply with Euro-II norms and CNG was not a mandatory requirement.
The court said that policy of the government was not keeping pace with change in technology and asked it to show such companies fell under the scheme and listed the matter for further hearing on July 27.
The court also told the Transport Department of the Delhi government to impose any condition on Uber only in accordance within the law.
The Delhi government had cancelled the licence application of Uber for not complying with the recently amended Radio Taxi Scheme of 2006 after certain app-based cab companies were banned in the capital following the Uber rape case.
The modified scheme imposes various mandatory requirements including having prefixed calibrated meters, a GPS device and running on CNG, on the companies for grant of licence
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