Cab drivers in Hyderabad to charge extra for AC amid rising fuel prices
Hyderabad: Due to the rise in fuel prices, some drivers of online cab aggregators like Uber and Ola have decided to charge passengers extra for air conditioners. A sticker has been put up saying ‘AC on extra charges Rs 50 to Rs 100’ in a few taxis.
According to a city-based cab driver, currently, the fare is less than Rs 12 to Rs 13 per km and for drivers, it is impossible to run the air conditioner after paying an increased commission to the aggregator.
“As AC runs on fuel and it is so expensive right now, it is difficult for us to run the air conditioner at this price. That is why we decided to charge an additional fee for using the air conditioner in the taxis,” he says.
Telangana Gig and Platform Workers Union (TGPWU) announced a ‘No AC’ campaign in the city and are requesting the transport department to intervene.
“The fare needs to be increased to Rs 17-20 per km for cab drivers to be able to withstand the rising fuel prices. While some customers are ready to pay the extra amount for the air conditioner, some say that they will only pay as much as the app charges,” it said.
Fuel prices were hiked across the country for the seventh time in eight days on Tuesday. The price of petrol in the city went up by 90 paise, to Rs.113.61. The price of diesel went up by 77 paise per litre.
The hikes, coming for the seventh time in eight days after a record 137-day hiatus in the daily dynamic pricing system, will continue for a few more weeks, dealers here said, adding that the Russian-Ukrainian crisis impact remained the foremost reason which could keep the prices going up again.
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