Vehicle owners refuse to rent out vehicles for election at rates fixed by Transport Department

BENGALURU: Owners of public carriage vehicles, including private buses, are refusing to give out their vehicles on hire to political parties for the election citing the low rates fixed by the Transport Department.

After the Election Commission announced the dates for the Assembly election, all preparations are on in full swing in the state. In keeping with this, the Transport Department has fixed the rental rates for private vehicles that will be used during the election.

But the State Taxi Owners and Drivers Association are outraged that the rental rates that were fixed during the 2018 Assembly elections have been notified this year too. They claimed that there is a difference of Rs 15 to  Rs 20 in petrol and diesel prices compared to the previous election.

Karnataka Transport Department has fixed the rental rates of the vehicles that are going to be used during the election.

The State Taxi Owners and Drivers Association said that vehicles like cars, Tata Sumos, Cruisers and minicabs will be difficult to get and, if the Clection Commission does not schedule a meeting to discuss rentals at the earliest, the vehicle will not be available Such vehicles are hired to transport polling personnel and material to polling booths and for other election-related activities.

Check out the hire charges for KSRTC and private vehicles fixed by the Transport Department for upcoming election here: GO KSRTC AND PRIVATE VEHICLE

Radhakrishna Holla, President of State Taxi Owners and Drivers Association.

“After the Covid-19 pandemic, there are lesser vehicles due to financial burden the owners had to bear and cabs are not readily availability in the city. People cannot afford new vehicles as prices have gone up by 40 per cent. The running cost is very high and we cannot afford to operate at the rates fixed by the Transport Department. They did not hold a meeting with us to discuss the rentals. It will be difficult for drivers or owners to operate at the rates that have been fixed. During elections, they use both KSRTC and private vehicles including buses, minibuses, cars and other good vehicles. They should have called representatives of the association to discuss the rentals”, said Radhakrishna Holla, president of State Taxi Owners’ and Drivers’ Association.