Ola and Uber car-pooling services are facing problems now from the government of Tamil Nadu. A 15-member committee, which was formed by the state transport department, had classified taxis as separate category of contract carriages, and has decided to regulate their service after conducting talks with private companies, reported The New Indian Express.

After the car-pooling services of Ola and Uber were introduced in Chennai, drivers showed dissatisfaction towards the service as their profits were affected. After some representations were submitted to the Union Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, the officials asked the states to check if the service was legal or not.

An expert committee was also formed which includes 10 Regional Transport Offices, senior bureaucrats and technical institutes. However, a senior official from the transport department told TNIE that under Tamil Nadu Motor Vehicle Act, 1989, contract carriages are only permitted to pick a passenger and drop them at another place, it does not allow the carriages to pick or drop passengers during a trip.

He added that rules have been framed and sent for approval of the Union Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, and once it is accepted the state will start implementing it. The official said that passengers raised security concerns, in some cases, the fellow passenger was drunk and the passenger had to take the help of the driver even after having an emergency button.

In Bengaluru, banning cab-sharing services on January 26, transport officials had said that contracts for taxi services only allow a single pick-up and drop from point A to point B. Taxis would require a stage carriage permit to make multiple stops along the way, and currently, the state only gives these permits to government-run buses. However, Uber started an online petition, “Support Ridesharing in Bangalore #BlrNeedsPool”, and justifies cab-sharing on the grounds of the savings in fuel, time and pollution reduced by having more people travel in fewer cars.