Taxi and maxi cab drivers protest installation of panic buttons and GPS

In response to the Central Transport Department’s mandate, the state transport department’s insistence on installing panic buttons and GPS devices in commercial vehicles has been labeled unscientific by local drivers. This led to a protest on Tuesday, July 23 in front of the Mini Vidhana Soudha in Mangaluru, organized by the Dakshina Kannada District Taxi and Maxi Cab Association.

Anand K., president of the association, stated that the order for installing these devices is confusing and places an additional burden on taxi and maxi cab driver-owners. Despite the state government allocating Rs. 7,590 for the installation, transport offices across the state are charging between Rs. 13,000 and Rs. 15,000. He described this as unjust to vehicle owners.

Mangalore RTO Sridhar Mallad, who arrived at the protest site to accept the memorandum, assured the drivers that their concerns would be brought to the attention of higher authorities.

The protest saw the participation of the association’s honorary president, Dinesh Kumpala, along with Kamalaksha, Sharath, Manoj, Bojanna, Shubhakar Shetty, Uday Kumar, Lokesh Gowda, and hundreds of other drivers.