Chandigarh, July 8 -- Passengers will now have to pay more for cabs, auto-rickshaws and bike taxis in the city as the UT administration on Monday announced a revised fare structure - a first in three years. As per the notification, operators can now charge a flat fare for the first three kilometres, regardless of the actual distance travelled. This means passengers will now pay for a minimum of three kilometres even if their journey is shorter-replacing the earlier per-kilometre billing model (see box). Additionally, the fare structure for both AC and non-AC taxis/cabs have been unified. Ramesh Ahuja, president of the taxi union, said the new fares may not offer any real benefit to taxi operators due to stiff competition in the market. "Operators may not be able to recover even the revised fares," he added. On the other hand, the Tricity cab association welcomed the step, urging the administration to ensure proper implementation. Association president Vikram Singh said, "The revised fares will bring transparency and benefit both drivers and passengers. However, the policy must not remain limited to paperwork - it must be enforced on the ground." Singh further said the aggregator platforms often bypass such regulations, and this time, the state transport authority (STA) must ensure compliance. He thanked the UT administration and STA for addressing this long-pending issue. Last month, the UT administration had also notified the 'Chandigarh Administration Motor Vehicle Aggregator Rules, 2025'. Under these rules, aggregators can implement dynamic pricing - allowing fares to dip up to 50% below the base fare and surge up to 1.5 times during peak hours. Additionally, under a new revenue-sharing model, drivers must receive a minimum of 80% of the total fare, while aggregators can retain up to 20%. All applicable central and state government taxes,including GST, will be borne by the aggregator....