From today, ask for new auto, taxi tariff charts
Soon, Cabs Will Don New Colour Code

The state is planning to add a new hue to the auto, taxi-revamp plan, literally. State transport minister Radhakrishna Vikhe-Patil has proposed a new colour code for both taxis and autos in Mumbai—blue and yellow or brown and yellow.
At a function held at Police Gymkhana for the launch of a toll-free helpline (1800-22-0110) for auto and taxi passengers on Thursday, the minister directed RTO officials to “immediately’’ release tariff cards of revised fares for both the modes of transport. On Thursday, when the new tariffs were introduced, the regional transport office (RTO), was flooded with calls from citizens who were reportedly fleeced by auto and taxi drivers who did not carry authorised fare charts. In a bid to help residents, RTO officials expedited the process of issuing new tariff cards, which were given out to drivers by late Thursday evening.
Talking about the revamp, Vikhe-Patil said a new colour code for taxis and autos would be presented to the state cabinet within a month. Vikhe-Patil said, “Among the new colours being considered for taxis are a combination of sky blue and yellow, brown stripes on yellow body and a design, which has more shades of yellow and less of black (opposite of the current scheme).’’ He added that auto drivers had also given their consent for a new colour for their vehicles and they also wanted a new uniform.
Installation of GPS and wireless technology in ordinary taxis as well as cool cabs—making it on a par with fleet cabs—and compulsory setting up of high-security registration number plates by car-owners in Mumbai are a few of the other plans.
Vikhe-Patil told TOI that he would make it mandatory for car owners in Mumbai to have high-security registration number plates. Tenders are being floated for securing contracts from companies that can provide the technology. “The number plate will be embedded with a micro-chip, which will store the data of a car, including registration details, chassis number and RTO details. It can be scanned using chip-readers and will help us keep track of vehicles arriving and leaving the city,’’ he said. The technology will not only help track stolen vehicles, but can also be used in near future for automatic toll collections—a system where a car/truck owner’s account gets debited with the toll amount the moment his vehicle passes the checkpost.
Vikhe-Patil said he would invite private operators to adopt 5,000 to 10,000 taxis and set up a control room where people could also book blackand-yellow taxis over phone.

Toll-free Helpline For Commuters

Chief minister Ashok Chavan, who inaugurated the toll-free helpline (1800-22-0110) for commuters, said the response time by RTO officials would be fast. “I want errant drivers to be punished severely,’’ he said. A passenger can lodge complaints of refusal to ply, excess fare, rude behaviour, and any criminal act against auto, taxi and bus drivers on this helpline. Transport minister R Vikhe-Patil said their grievances would be redressed within a maximum two weeks. Chavan said the RTO should make the licence test strict and not issue a licence to anyone if he did not know how to drive. “It will bring down the accident rate,’’ he said. Chavan also launched an e-payment facility at RTO, thanks to which, dealers can now pay motor vehicle tax over the net while registering new cars. Chavan promised to introduce a new cadre of constables in the RTO and get more firearms for the department. TNN