The hearing for the granting operational licenses to ride-hailing giants Ola and Uber in Pune has been postponed for the sixth time and now will be held on September 12.
The SAT first heard the appeal on April 22, then rescheduled it for June 18, July 8, August 5, and August 22. The hearing is now postponed to September 12.
Know all about the issue
It should be noted that both the companies are operating in the city without licenses for a decade.
Following a review on March 11, all transport authorities concluded that the documents of both ride-hailing companies did not meet the required norms outlined by the central government’s Motor Vehicles Aggregators’ Guidelines, 2020.
Will cabs still operate in Pune?
Despite approximately 45,000 to 50,000 cabs, including those operated by Ola and Uber, having been operational in the city since 2014 without licenses, various complaints from cab drivers about fare increases remained unaddressed.
In response to protests by driver unions and gig workers, the RTA revised taxi fares in January. The new rates set by the RTA increased the fare for AC taxis to ₹37 for the first 1.5 km and ₹25 for each additional kilometer. However, Ola and Uber have yet to implement these changes. Despite several meetings between driver unions, company representatives, and transport officials, no agreement has been reached. As a result, the district collector has taken the step of rejecting these companies' license applications in March.
Although the transport authority rejected the licenses of both companies to operate autos in the city in 2023, they continued to provide auto services.
Thus, if the verdict goes against the companies, it might affect the operations of both the service providers if they don't comply to given norms in the city.
