 "Transport dept finds gaps in applications of Uber, Ola, TaxiForSure")
The department sent ‘deficiency memos’ to these firms on January 24. “It will take at least 10 days for companies to fill in all the gaps in the applications, which will then be reconsidered by the department,” said a government official on the condition of anonymity.
According to letters reviewed by Business Standard, the application of Taxi For Sure, which had applied through its subsidiary Serendipity Infolabs, had the most deficiencies, while OlaCabs had just one gap.
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According to the authorities, Uber which has formed a subsidiary, Resource expert India, has not registered the company stating its purpose is to provide public transport and might have to go back to the Registrar of Companies to amend its objective. Other things missing from its application are an undertaking for parking; the telephone number, email address and address proof of its registered office; call centre arrangement details; and feedback process.
The company has also not submitted an affidavit stating it follows the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988, along with the Information Technology Act, 2000. “While its taxis are governed by the Motor Vehicles Act, the web-based application comes under the purview of the Information Technology Act,” the official said.
Uber argues it is better governed by the Information Technology Act as it is a technology platform and not a taxi company. Uber did not comment on the matter. NTL Call Cabs could not be reached for comments and OlaCabs and Taxi For Sure did not respond to questions.
The application for Taxi For Sure was found deficient on all the clauses as Uber and it has also been asked to furnish details of taxis, their drivers and its arrangement with the owners of the cars along with the induction schedule.
Aprameya R, Co-founder and Director at TaxiForSure, said, “We are working on the clarifications sought by them and we are in the process to submit the same.”
He added that the company will work with the authorities as closely as possible and will cooperate with them to work towards a long-term solution.
“We are confident that the government and the authorities will agree that our business model is unique and will be open to include regulations that are best suited for the new-age business model,” he added.
While NTL Call Cabs has not provided land use status of its registered office and a snapshot of its web portal, OlaCabs’ office lease agreement was found to be not registered.
OlaCabs may be the first to receive a licence as its application is the most complete. The company, which was the last to apply, has formed a subsidiary, Apra Cabs India.
Defying warnings from the government, all the companies continue to operate in the capital without licence.