The service came into effect from Sunday and provides the taxi rates set by the Nepal Bureau of Standards and Metrology if an individual sends a message typing taxirate to 4321. [break]
According to the Traffic Engineer Amarendra Sah, people can get the taxi rates of 612 places within a few moments. A person can know the taxi fare based on the distance they have traveled by sending taxirate<space>location<space>to<space>location to 4321.
The MTPD has set two keywords such as taxi and taxirate to respond to the senders, Sah added. The keyword taxi has been set to send complaints of taxi meter tampering to the traffic control room via SMS. The text which reads taxi<space>taxinumber<space>description needs to be sent to the same number 4321. The description should be given to the police about the exact location, route and the amount demanded by the drivers.
“As soon as a complain is received, the control room communicates with the traffic unit nearest to the senders´ location,” said Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Upendra Kanta Aryal, chief of the traffic division.
He added that the taxi numbers forwarded to the MTPD would trace the drivers even if they escape from the scene at first attempt. He also urged the public to note the vehicle number as they take a taxi.
As many as 1424 taxi drivers have faced traffic action since November last year for meter tampering, earthling and other manipulations to highly charge their passengers. The campaign launched following the widespread complaints against taxi drivers is still in operation. Around 7,000 taxis are under operation in the Bagmati zone.
Considering the possibility of fake information of taxi tampering, the MTPD would cross check the complaints before taking action against the drivers, said DIG Aryal.
Traffic control room to use visual updates to respond to callers
The traffic control room that has been using audio technology to respond to callers will now inform the public about the situation of vehicular movements based on visuals.
According to DIG Aryal, traffic police have been informing the caller at toll free number 103 on the basis of the traffic updates from all the traffic units they receive on walkie-talkies. By the new fiscal year that begins mid-July, the MTPD would set up monitors in the control room and provide live visual updates they receive from CCTV cameras set at different places of the Valley.
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