The chairperson of a private taxi association in Nepal on Wednesday said most taxi drivers do not issue fare receipts to passengers because of ‘mediocre’ quality printers that malfunctioned within a few months of installation.

Nepal Meter Taxi Entrepreneurs Associations (NMTEA) Chairperson Arjun Gautam said, “Passengers do not receive receipts because of non-functional printers. It is not deliberate. The printers are of mediocre quality,

hence they went out of order quickly.”

Although most taxis in Kathmandu installed printers over one and a half year ago, the majority are out of order.

The Nepal Bureau of Standards and Metrology installed meter receipt printers January 1, 2017 onwards after there was an outcry over taxi drivers over charging passengers.

The printers dispensed a receipt with information on distance travelled, taxi fare and taxi number for passengers. Drivers stopped issuing fare receipts after many machines conked out.

Many passengers complained that taxi drivers would deliberately not give the receipts despite functional printers.

There are around 10,000 taxis plying in the Kathmandu Valley.

Around Rs 140 million was spent to procure ring the printer machines, said Gautam. “We had warned about the mediocre printers and opined they would not be durable given the air pollution in the Valley. Nonetheless, the authorities implemented the decision.”

Passengers complaining of drivers overcharging happen more in areas like New Bus Park, Kalanki, Koteshwor New Road, Bir Hospital, Lagankhel, Airport, Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital, Thamel and Durbarmarg.

Nepal Bureau of Standards and Metrology Director General Bishwo Babu Pudasaini blamed drivers for their negligence to fix nonfunctional printers.

“The machine’s warranty is one year. There are complaints that most of the machines broke down before it’s the expiry of the warranty period, mainly because of drivers’ negligence,” he said.

The Department of Transport Management will fine and ban the taxis operating without functional printers, he said.

Department Spokesperson Tulasi Ram Aryal said the Department is monitoring taxi drivers regularly. It will take action against drivers who cheat passengers.

Out of 10,645 registered taxis plying in the Valley, 8,500 have installed fare printers, according to the Department.

Metropolitan Traffic Police Division Chief Basanta Kumar Panta said at least 30 taxi drivers face police action every day for cheating passengers under various excuses like non operating meters, charging passengers arbitrarily and refusing to issue fare receipts.

“We monitor approximately 500 taxies in the Valley every day. Around 30 to 35 drivers face punishment for defrauding passengers,” Panta said.

The Division has deployed 20 undercover traffic police officers to monitor rogue taxi drivers.

The Division imposes a fine of Rs 3,000 each on a taxi charging passengers high fare, said Panta.