909 cabbies booked in a month for violating rules

Kathmandu, December 7

Traffic police have taken action against as man as 909 cabbies over a period of one month (mid-October to mid-November) for fleecing the passengers or violating the rules in Kathmandu valley.

According to statistics released by Metropolitan Traffic Police Division, most of the taxi drivers booked by on-duty cops were caught in the act of bargaining the fare or refusing to provide service by turning on the meter.

A total of 903 cabbies bargained over fare without turning on the meter. Similarly, two taxi drivers had tampered with the meter and seven were operating taxis by replacing the black registration plate with red one against the permit granted to them.

Traffic police have intensified action against unscrupulous cabbies as they showed no sign of adhering to the rules. Traffic personnel, both in uniform and plain clothes have been deployed in busy areas, including hospitals and bus parks to catch the rule violators. Recently, it has begun keeping a tab on taxis, in the daytime and at night, when cabbies try to fleece passengers taking advantage of emergencies and non-availability of public vehicles.

Plainclothes traffic cops have been deployed in busy thoroughfares to monitor and regulate taxi service. According to MTPD, on an average, 30 cabbies are booked on a daily basis for fleecing commuters.

MTPD has appealed to passengers to call the traffic control room (103) or send SMS to 9851295100 or file a complaint through MTPD’s Facebook page to initiate action against fraudulent taxi drivers.

Cabbies, who refuse to serve passengers by turning on fare-meter, are referred to the Transport Management Office for action and are fined Rs 2,000. Similarly, if a taxi driver is found operating with a tampered meter, the National Bureau of Standards and Metrology may impose a fine of up to Rs 5,000, along with a warning in the first instance.