Yellow taxis to stay off roads on Sept 21

Kolkata: Yellow taxi operators on Wednesday called for a 24-hours-strike on September 21, demanding fare hike.

"Earlier, we had decided to go for Yellow taxi strike on September 7. But due to statewide lockdown on the same date we have changed the strike date to September 21," said Nawal Kishor Shrivastav, convenor of West Bengal Taxi Operators' Co-ordination Committee (WBTOCC) affiliated to AITUC. The taxi operators demanded that the minimum fare (for two kilometers) should be increased from Rs 30 to Rs 50. Beyond

two kilometers, the fare should be Rs 15 per kilometer.

WBTOCC has already submitted several deputations seeking taxi fare hike to the state Transport department. It is yet to receive any response from the state Transport department.

According to sources, the state Transport department has formed a fare regulatory committee to prepare a cost effective fare chart keeping in mind the escalating price of diesel. The committee will soon submit to the higher authority and a revised fare chart will be issued to the taxi operators. "The price of diesel has shot up by Rs 10 during the last four months and the taxi fare is constant. We will die an unnatural death if the fare is not hiked at this time

of financial crisis due to spiraling diesel price that is now Rs 77.06 per litre and COVID-19 pandemic," pointed out Shrivastav.

There are 22,000 yellow taxis plying across Kolkata and its adjoining areas. At present, only 12,000 yellow taxis are running on the roads because the operation cost of running a taxi has increased three hundred times. and the fare is constant.