One of the unmistakable signs of a dysfunctional state is lack of respect for state authorities among its citizens. This can be manifested in various ways. Motorists and pedestrians violating traffic rules with abandon; businesses cutting corners to maximize profits, even by compromising on the health and wellbeing of their valued customers; common people being ready to bribe state officials to get just about anything done.
The cab drivers of Kathmandu tampering with their meters to hoodwink gullible passengers can be taken as yet another symptom of this growing sense of statelessness. Curiously, most taxi operators who have tempered with their meters or quote arbitrary fares to prospective passengers believe they are perfectly entitled to act in the way they do. Since everyone cuts corners, why can’t they tweak the law a wee bit to ensure decent lives for themselves and their hard-living families?
For the most part, they get by just fine. The problem arises when the state chooses to flex its muscles once a while, if only to give a proof of its existence. Thus when the government, after all these years of constant complaining by hard-done passengers, finally decided to act against unscrupulous taxi drivers, the men behind the wheels seem to have been caught completely unawares. Since the start of the government crackdown on meter taxis in the first week of January, many taxi drivers in Kathmandu have been forced to seriously contemplate alternative sources of livelihood. In their own words, while they could make between Rs 500-600 in profits before the start of the government campaign to make them run straight, the returns have dwindled to Rs 200-300 these days, a pittance given the galloping inflation and constant petrol price increases.
Although the anti-tampering campaign was late in coming, we support it and hope it will lead to the much-needed reforms in the cab business.
But surely, the taxi operators who have taken the law into their own hands to earn more have only themselves to blame. Transparency would help everyone. Most of the passengers who ride metered taxis know they are expected to pay a premium for the exclusive travel. What they resent the most are arbitrary fares: for the same distance, two taxis charge two, sometimes drastically different, rates. Then there is the growing trend of taxis refusing to run on meter. If the taxi operators believe their current earnings are either inadequate or unjustifiable, they should lobby for higher fares. If the public still chooses to take taxis, it will be their informed choice. There will always be cheaper means of transport available.
Tampering with meters and charging arbitrary fares are, ultimately, in no one’s interest. Such dishonest tactics will make even those who can afford it reluctant to travel in taxis. Although the anti-tampering campaign was late in coming, we support it and hope it will lead to the much-needed reforms in the cab business. But such campaigns need to be sustained to make people believe that the state really cares. It is the perception that the Nepali state is completely divorced from the problems of common people which contributes to disobedience. This applies as much to the unscrupulous cab drivers as it does to their disgruntled passengers.