Bengaluru, Oct 13 (IANS): The Karnataka High Court on Thursday directed the state government and cab aggregator services to explore the possibility of working out a consensus on autorickshaw fares to be charged through Ola and Uber.

The state Transport Department had banned the cab aggregator services from providing autorickshaw services to the public, citing the high fares being charged.

Taking up the matter following petitions filed by ANI Technologies (Ola) and Uber Technologies, Justice M.G.S. Kamal issued the direction to the state government.

The petitioners contended that the Transport Department's orders are vague and do not provide justifiable reasons for the ban. They also said that they were not given sufficient time to respond after being issued the notice by the Transport Department.

The state government and cab aggregators have been locked in a face-off over the issue since October 6 after there was a public outcry over the hefty fares being charged for autorickshaw services by cab aggregator services. The state government stepped in followers complaints from users that the apps were charging Rs 100 for the first two kilometres also, while the government-approved fare is Rs 30.

Subsequently, on October 11, the state Transport Department barred Ola and Uber from offering autorickshaw rides.