On Saturday, RTI activist Anil Galgali wrote to Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, requesting him to revoke the blanket ban on autos and taxis in Mumbai during the lockdown and allow them to travel for essential service duty.
Currently, the local train services and the Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST) buses are the only means of transport functional in Mumbai and are providing their services to employees involved in essential services.
According to a senior government official, the new lockdown regulations, which disallowed taxis and autos to function in Mumbai, were framed after much discussion, keeping in mind the intention to the curb the spread of coronavirus in the city.
Galgali told The Times Of India that a majority of the poor and lower-middle-class preferred to travel in autos and taxis, in case of emergencies. He added that they are also not used to booking aggregator cabs and cannot afford the prices as well.
He also argued that not all citizens, especially the elderly or those with disabilities, can board the BEST buses easily. Therefore, the autos and taxis provide for a much convenient option as they also provide a doorstep service.
Meanwhile, the Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC) had started operating in a full-fledged manner since Friday in the non-red zones all across Maharashtra. The MSRTC had earlier ferried over three lakh migrants up to the state borders and to various districts from the state borders since the first week of May.
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