The Karnataka government has ordered cab aggregators to stop providing autorickshaw ride services, The News Minute reported on Friday.

The decision has been taken after several passengers complained about surge pricing by autorickshaws. The consumers had complained that cab aggregator apps have been charging a minimum of Rs 100 for autorickshaw rides.

In a circular issued on Thursday, the Karnataka Transport Department pulled up cab aggregators Ola, Uber and Rapido for offering autorickshaw rides without licence, The Indian Express reported. The three companies have been asked to stop the services within three days.

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Cases will be registered against cab aggregators and autorickshaw owners if they violate the order, the circular stated.

“Auto services should be stopped, and customers should not be charged more than the government-prescribed fare,” the circular stated, according to The News Minute. Last year, the state government had mandated Rs 30 as autorickshaw fare for the first two kilometres and Rs 15 for every subsequent kilometre.

An unidentified Transport Department official told The Indian Express that surge pricing on cab-hailing apps had always been under the scanner.

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“Despite repeated warnings, cab aggregators have not mended their ways,” the official said. “After a meeting on Thursday, we have decided to deem autorickshaw facilities offered by cab aggregators as illegal.”

Meanwhile, autorickshaw drivers’ bodies have criticised the decision, saying that the government and cab aggregators do not pay heed to their demands.

“We can switch to our normal journey and charge customers as per the meters,” said M Manjunath, the president of Adarsha Auto and Taxi Driver’s Union in Bengaluru and Mysore. “But both the government and the cab companies are devastating the lives of auto drivers for several years now.”

Manjunath told The Indian Express that cab aggregators do not pay incentives or pass on the benefits of surge pricing to the drivers.