Police step up crackdown on unscrupulous taxi drivers

Kathmandu, April 21

The Metropolitan Traffic Police Division has stepped up crackdown on unscrupulous cabbies in the Kathmandu Valley.

DIGP Prakash Adhikari, MTPD in-charge, said assorted teams were deployed in busy areas of the Kathmandu Valley to monitor taxis for violations like operating the vehicle without the mandatory seal on the fare metres, tampering and using defunct fare metres.

“We have booked as many as 41 cabbies in the last two days for cheating commuters. Of them, 34 were found refusing to provide service on fare metres for short distances, while two had defunct fare-metres,” he said.

The crackdown comes in the wake of growing complaints against taxi drivers. Cabbies found tampering with fare metres may face a fine of Rs 5,000 and are warned to fix the fare metres.

Traffic police refer the cases related to metre-tampering to the National Bureau of Standards and Metrology for investigation and legal action.

Similarly, cabbies overcharging passengers and refusing to travel short distances are handed over to the Transport Management Office. DIGP Aryal said that this initiative was aimed at deterring the cabbies from overcharging commuters.

“This is not an end. We have still a long way to go to put an end to this trend,” he warned.

Around 7,000 taxis operate in the Kathmandu Valley.

The Traffic Police Control Room is tasked with responding to passengers’ complaints and ensuring that dishonest taxi drivers are arrested for investigation.

“Any one who is cheated by cabbies are strongly encouraged to report to the Traffic Police Control Room (103) or 100 and cooperate with the traffic police so that the guilty is brought to book,” said DIGP Aryal.

Traffic police have been keeping a close watch on taxis in the daytime and at night when they try to fleece passengers taking advantage of emergencies and non-availability of public vehicles.

Plainclothes traffic cops have been deployed in the guise of passengers in busy thoroughfares round-the-clock to monitor and regulate taxis.