CHENNAI DRIVERS LAUNCH D-TAXI SERVICES WITH MINIMAL FARES; DETAILS LISTED

Major cab services in Chennai such as OLA and Uber are being used by lakhs of people on a daily basis. Of late, many commuters complain of high fares charged by the cab companies, especially during busy hours in the city. Not just passengers but also drivers who are affiliated to OLA and Uber raised concerns over the commissions obtained from their payouts for the trips.

In order to provide cheaper taxi services, a group of Chennai cab drivers has launched an app called 'D-taxi'. The D-taxi is run by the cooperative society registered with the state industrial department in May 2018. Drivers who would like to enroll in D-taxi services should have a commercial license and pay Rs 100 as registration fee and there won't to any commissions withheld by the company. The drivers need to pay Rs 3000 every month.  Reportedly 160 car and auto drivers enrolled in D-taxi within days of its launch.

The base fare for autos is fixed to be Rs 25 for the first 1.8kms and Rs 12 will be charged for every km traveled beyond it.  The base charge for small hatchback and executive sedan cares is Rs 30 and Rs. 12.50-Rs 13 will be charged for every successive kilometer. The XVVs are charged Rs 150 and Rs 18-19 for every successive km. The waiting charges range from 30 Paise to Rs 1.50 per minute.

Based on the car model, the fare will vary from Rs 9.50 to Rs 13 for trips that cover a minimum of 250 km. “The key feature of our service is that there is no surge pricing during peak hours. Users can pay for only the distance they have traveled,” G Balaji, the president of D-taxi was quoted as saying by TOI.