Cab, auto drivers in TN to get unique ID number

Call taxi and autorickshaw drivers across the state will soon be allowed to run vehicles only with a licence from the state government which will contain a unique driver identity number (UDIN). The government issued an order containing draft rules and regulations for call taxis and auto drivers in the state on December 31. The GO has been sent to police and transport authorities across the state, seeking their suggestions and recommendations before January 8.

As per the draft rule, a six-digit alphanumeric UDIN will be allocated by the regional transport officer (RTO) to drivers holding a valid driving license, a badge authorizing them to drive a transport vehicle, and a police verification certificate. Drivers will have to carry their original driving licence, public service vehicle badge, UDIN and police verification certificates while driving the vehicle.

Call taxi and autorickshaw owners can operate their vehicles only after obtaining this licence from the state government after paying a security deposit. Further, the rules state that no person can engage in the call taxi and call autorickshaw business without obtaining a licence issued by the competent authority to function as a call taxi and auto rickshaw operator in the state.

Call taxi and auto rickshaw operators should file a statement on the list of vehicles operated by them to the state transport authorities before 10th of every month. This particular rule was added to the draft rules-which have been in the works for close to a year-after Uber cab driver Shiv Kumar Yadav was arrested in December for raping a 27-year-old woman in Delhi, sources said.