The Metropolitan Traffic Police Division has taken actions against more than 10,000 errant taxi drivers for various violations in the past five months.

The division’s data shows that 10,787 taxi drivers have been booked for violations ranging from unwilling to go on meter, tampering with the taxi meter to overcharging passengers under the "Community-Police Partnership Programme" that was launched on December 6 last year.

Among those booked, 3,000 drivers were found refusing to go to passengers' designated areas, according to spokesperson for the division Superintendent of Police Jay Raj Sapkota.  

Responding to complaints from passengers, the division started the latest crackdown against those taxi drivers who were found overcharging, refusing to go to the designated areas and tampering with the taxi meter.

“We have been mobilising 40 traffic police personnel in civil dress to keep an eye on taxi drivers with a question ‘how much,'” said Sapkota, claiming that the campaign has been effective.

Similarly, the traffic police have started booking taxi drivers in response to ‘direct complaints’ through phones and social media such as twitter and facebook.

“In recent times, a growing number of passengers are lodging complaints through social media with a picture of taxi and its licence plate. This has helped us nab the rule violators,” said Sapkota.

The taxi drivers refusing to go on fare meter or go to the designated places are fined Rs3,000, while those drivers who are found involved in meter tampering are send to the Nepal Standards and Metrology Department for further actions.

Besides, the division has also taken further action to suspend the driving licence of errant taxi drivers. In December last year, the Department of Transport Management had come up with a new rule to book unscrupulous taxi drivers who cheat passengers.