CUMTA to Launch App for Hailing Autos and Cabs in Chennai

State Urban Development Minister B Rajkumar announced in the State Assembly that the Chennai Unified Metropolitan Transport Authority (CUMTA) will launch a dedicated application for hailing autorickshaws and cabs across Chennai. The announcement was made during the discussion on demands for grants for the transport department.

According to the government, the initiative seeks to serve a twin purpose: safeguarding the livelihoods of auto and taxi drivers while ensuring that commuters are not subjected to exorbitant and unregulated fares. Chennai’s autorickshaw sector has long operated without functional meters, leaving passengers dependent on bargaining and vulnerable to arbitrary charges, particularly during peak hours, late nights, or at transport hubs like railway stations and bus stands.

However, the proposal faces immediate operational challenges regarding fare regulation. A meeting convened by transport department officials with autorickshaw driver unions just a day ahead of the Minister’s Assembly announcement ended in a stalemate. The discussions were intended to fix standardised rate cards and minimum fares ahead of the app launch, but both parties could not arrive at a mutual agreement.

The TVK government, which took office in May, has held three separate consultation meetings with auto unions to resolve the dispute over fare structures, yet all sessions failed to yield a consensus. Union negotiations with authorities over the years have consistently struggled to establish agreeable minimum fares or enforce meter compliance across the city.

The app proposal follows years of commuter friction with both street-hailed and app-based transport. While private aggregator platforms previously introduced automated pricing, commuters have regularly faced instances where drivers demand additional payment above the digital fare or threaten trip cancellations. How CUMTA will manage fare compliance through its new platform remains to be seen as the rollout approaches.