Revoke Permission Granted To Mumbai Rickshawmen’s Union To Certify Meters: Mumbai Consumer Panchayat

Mumbai, 17th November 2022: Recalibration of rickshaw-taxi meters (meter change) after fare hike and subsequent meter certification is currently underway in Mumbai. The Mumbai Metropolitan Region Transport Authority has recently decided to entrust the work of meter certification to the Mumbai Rickshawmen’s Union. The Mumbai Consumer Panchayat has opposed this decision and has requested Chief Minister Eknath Shinde to revoke the permission given to the Mumbai Rickshawmen’s Union.

Accuracy and reliability are key in the rickshaw-taxi meter recalibration process. Meter manufacturers, rickshaw-taxi drivers-owners associations, and consumer associations should follow a policy of staying away from this process. If the responsibility for recalibration is based on any of these three elements, the credibility of the process may be called into question. Complaints are coming to the RTO that passengers are being charged extra fares by tampering with meters. Therefore, it would not be appropriate to give the responsibility of certifying meters to those against whom complaints are being made, the Mumbai Consumer Panchayat has mentioned in the demand letter given to Chief Minister Eknath Shinde. Shirish Deshpande, working president of the consumer panchayat said that the decision taken by the authority has been demanded to be cancelled.