Hailing a radio cab (or fleet taxi) in the city will now be expensive as the state transport department has revised the fares for the swanky cabs after the hike in prices of Compressed Natural Gas (CNG).

According to the revised fare, the flag-down fare (for first one kilometre) is now Rs 20 — which is a hike of Rs 5; and it would cost Rs 14 per subsequent kilometer— a hike of Re 1. “The notification for the fare revision for the fleet taxis was issued on August 19. These revisions are according to our calculation based on price rise, base ratio, etc. The revised fares have come into effect and the operators are in process of recalibrating the electronic metres,” said a senior official from the state transport department. He added that the fares for the Cool Cabs have also been revised to Rs 16.50 from Rs 15 per km.

The city’s largest fleet taxi operator, Meru Cabs, is still recalibrating its electronic meters. “We’re still in process of recalibrating the meters in phases over the next 30 days. We’ve been informing customers that only cabs with recalibrated meters will follow the new fare structure. Passengers are requested to pay according to the amount displayed on the meter till the recalibration is completed,” said Mark Pereira, Chief Executive Officer, Meru Cabs.

According to estimates, there are close to 2,000 swanky taxis in the city being operated by Meru Cabs, Mega Cabs, Mumbai Gold Pvt Ltd, Forshe, etc.

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