The Bengal government is working on a proposal to have taxis back on Calcutta’s streets against a 30 per cent additional charge on the metered fare.

The idea came from taxi operators at a meeting on Thursday with transport department officials, who said they were “more or less okay with the proposal” but added that chief minister Mamata Banerjee would take the final decision.

A formal notice may be issued in a few days so that the taxis can start operating from next week, officials said.

Transport officials have already told bus operators that private buses should start plying across Calcutta and adjoining areas from Monday. If things fall into place, the taxis too could be back on the roads from Monday, officials said.

“Only two passengers will be allowed in a taxi at a time, and only in the rear seat,” a transport department official said.

“There will be a plastic sheet or screen between the taxi driver and the passengers. Every taxi driver must carry hand sanitisers (to be offered to the passengers when they climb in). Masks are mandatory for both drivers and passengers.”

The taxis will be allowed to run between 7am and 7pm.

To begin with, the passengers will have to calculate for themselves the 30 per cent additional charge on the fare. Over the next few weeks, the regional transport offices will come out with an updated fare chart.

Calcutta has around 14,000 metered taxis, whose owners have for some time been demanding a fare revision.

The Bengal government had last revised taxi fares in 2018, fixing the starting fare, for the first 2km, at Rs 30. Thereafter, the fare increased by Rs 3 every 200 metres.

Taxi owners have been complaining the fare is woefully inadequate. With the government refusing to budge, many drivers had resorted to demanding a lump sum instead of the metered fare.

“Almost half the taxi drivers have returned to their native places. The rest have been struggling to make ends meet. We’ll love to return to the roads at the earliest,” said Bimal Guha, president of the Bengal Taxi Association.

Taxi operators said the 30 per cent additional fare would barely make up for the expected slump in the number of passengers during the lockdown period.