Kolkata's yellow taxis equip themselves to resume service, will hike fare by 30 per cent

As the country is about to enter the fourth phase of lockdown post 17 May with certain more relaxations put in place by the government, the Yellow taxis of Kolkata are gearing up to resume services in the city soon. The preparations for the same began by keeping in mind the safety of the drivers and passengers. The yellow taxis were sanitized taxies and plastic shield covers were placed between the driver and passengers' seats to avoid any kind of contact.

According to Bengal Taxi Association (BTA) the yellow taxis are likely to be back in the city's streets from Monday with a 30 per cent hike in fares.

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30 pc hike in yellow tax fares

The ubiquitous yellow taxis are likely to be back in the city's streets from Monday with a 30 per cent hike in fares, Bengal Taxi Association (BTA) secretary Bimal Guha said on Friday. He said that the association, in a meeting with senior West Bengal Transport department officials on Thursday, proposed the 30 per cent hike over meter readings at present rates.

The BTA secretary said that as per the government's guidelines, a maximum of two passengers would be allowed to board the metered taxis and that both would have to sit in the back seat. Guha said that taxi services in the city is likely to recommence from Monday itself following the end of the third phase of the nationwide lockdown over the COVID-19 pandemic. Since the beginning of the lockdown, only a few taxis were being allowed to travel in the city for emergencies only. 

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COVID-19 cases in India

According to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare data as per Saturday, the total number of Coronavirus cases in the country has climbed to 85,940, including 53,035 active cases. While 2,752 deaths have been reported overall, around 30,152 people have been cured/discharged/migrated. Meanwhile, Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu have the highest number of cases in the country with 29,100 and 10,108 cases respectively. 

Lockdown 4.0 

Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his nationwide address announced that there will be a fourth phase of the lockdown, however, it will be different from the earlier three phases. The details of the fourth phase of the lockdown will be announced today, May 17. 

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(With inputs from agency)