Mumbai, Aug. 2 -- Booking an ambulance in Maharashtra could soon become more transparent, with patients able to see fares, track vehicles in real time and receive digital receipts under a proposed state ambulance policy announced by state's Transport Minister Pratap Sarnaik on Saturday. The Maharashtra State Ambulance Policy, being drafted by the Motor Vehicles Department, aims to regulate ambulance services across the state by introducing uniform pricing norms, monitoring response times and improving accountability among public and private operators. "The policy's aim will be to make the entire system, right from registration of ambulances in the state to actual service, response time, pricing and reaching the hospital more disciplined," Sarnaik said. Among the biggest changes proposed is mandatory display of ambulance charges through a mobile application. The minister, in a statement said, the pricing currently remains opaque, which makes it difficult for relatives of patients to face financial difficulties in an emergency situation. "The proposed policy envisages making it mandatory for every registered ambulance to publish the rate sheet on the app," Sarnaik said. In line with the proposed policy, the existing ambulances will have to upgrade themselves once the policy is approved. Maharashtra currently operates 1,076 ambulances under the 108 Maharashtra Emergency Medical Services (MEMS), while around 5,000 ambulances are run by private hospitals, NGOs, trusts and other organisations....