3 min readPuneApr 9, 2026 10:34 PM IST
Written by Aadrita Nandi, Navnoor Kaur and Soham Shah
An FIR was registered after a 30-year-old cab driver was assaulted by a group of passengers following a fare dispute in Pune’s Loni Kalbhor area on April 5. The driver demanded a fare of Rs 25 per km, as fixed by Pune’s Regional Transport Authority (RTA). However, the group of men demanded that the fare shown on the app be charged and assaulted the driver.
Disputes between commuters and cab or rickshaw drivers in Pune have become common after a policy change last year.
What is Maharashtra’s app-based fee policy?
As per Maharashtra government’s Aggregator Policy released in May 2025, ride-hailing platforms like Ola, Uber and Rapido must charge fares aligned with rates fixed by Regional Transport Authorities (RTAs).
Terms and conditions by companies like Rapido and Uber also state that the fare displayed on the app is only indicative and serves as a guideline, with the final fare to be mutually agreed upon between the driver and passenger.
According to the rates decided by the Pune RTA for 2024 onwards, the first 1.5 km travel in a cab costs Rs 37 and increases by Rs 25 per km after that.
For autos, the first 1.5 km costs Rs 26 and Rs 17.14 per km thereafter.
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In a April 6 letter the Pune RTO reiterated to Ola, Uber, and Rapido that their apps must display fares based on these rates.
Worker groups like Baghtoy Rickshawala Union led by Keshav Kshirsagar have said that apps not displaying meter rates as required by policy have led to disputes between commuters and drivers.
Commuters unaware of policy
The Indian Express spoke to eight cab and auto drivers in the city, all of whom said fare disputes have become routine, with many reporting frequent arguments with passengers over meter-based charges.
Highlighting challenges faced by drivers, Swapnil who has been a cab driver since the last two years, said people do not know the policy and start arguing. He said “We first call and ask if passengers are ready to go by meter. Only then we accept the ride, otherwise we cancel it.”
Similarly, another driver Lalit Kumar claims that many customers pick up heated arguments over meter-based rates. “They even refuse to cancel after we tell them that we follow the meter rate,” he said.
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“There’s hardly a day without an argument. The moment we mention meter fare, passengers question it and it turns into a dispute,” said Nathuram, another cab driver.
Indian Express also spoke to more than ten commuters, none of whom were aware of the fare policy.
Gauri, a 21-year-old student studying at SPPU, said, “I haven’t heard of any such policy. I prefer to travel by paying the rates shown on the apps.” Describing her experience, she said that she was travelling with friends when an auto driver stopped midway and demanded meter rates, claiming she had to pay “extra”.
Sharing similar experiences, Vaishnavi, a college student, said there have been several arguments. She said the distance between Khadki and Wakdewadi is short and usually costs Rs 50–100, but she was charged Rs 250 as she was new in Pune. She latter haggled down to Rs 160.
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