The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Chennai News : Auto fare an unfair deal at Chennai Central

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, Sep 17, 2006
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Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

Auto fare an unfair deal at Chennai Central

Karthik Subramanian

The pre-paid autorickshaw system has fallen victim to problems that have ailed the sector for nearly a decade now Auto drivers haggling over fare with visitors is a common sight. Even the presence of the Railway Police and other government officials has little bearing on the situation.

AUTO CONTROL: An autorickshaw driver not in uniform haggles over fare with a passenger near the pre-paid auto/taxi booth at Chennai Central. — Photo: V.Ganesan

CHENNAI: The pre-paid autorickshaw system at the Chennai Central Railway Station, meant to provide a friendly, fair means of transport to those arriving in the city, has fallen victim to the problems that have ailed the sector for nearly a decade now. Auto drivers haggling over fare with passengers is a common sight throughout the day at the station. Even the presence of the Railway Police and other government officials has little bearing on the situation. If a passenger complains about the fleecing, the police try to pacify them rather than take stringent action against the erring auto driver. For several first time visitors, the situation is very unlike anything experienced in other cities, particularly Bangalore or Mumbai, where the governments have intervened proactively to provide a fair means of transport to those arriving at the railway stations or airport.

Any visitor, who has been to the Bangalore railway station and has experienced the manner in which the pre-paid system works there, will vouch that it is a near perfect one.

A public announcement system informs passengers that the pre-paid autorickshaw counter gives away transport slips costing Re.1. At the counter, the passengers get a computerised receipt with details about the destination, distance from the station, the method of calculation of fare and the fixed rate. A police constable then escorts the passenger to a waiting autorickshaw and ensures that the driver does not demand more.

It does not stop there. All autorickshaws display the licence of the driver, along with details such as the driver's blood group, the local police station to which the vehicle is attached and the Road Transport Office that issued the licence. This is further reassuring for the passengers.

At Chennai Central Railway Station, the receipt at the pre-paid auto stand is just a tacky slip mentioning the destination and the fare. A trip to Shanti Colony in Anna Nagar, for example, costs Rs.70. Nobody knows the method of calculation.

The autodrivers at the pre-paid stand demand anything between Rs.20 to Rs.30 more than what is mentioned on the slip even as the policeman at the counter watches haplessly.M. Ramesh, a software professional from Bangalore, who comes home to Chennai on weekends finds it shocking. "I find it hard to explain to friends why there must be such a difference between the system in Chennai and the one in Bangalore. Most of the friends do not like Chennai just because of what happens here." Most autodrivers blame successive Governments' failure in revising the fare for most of the problems. Auto fares have not been revised since 1996. The official rate today stands at Rs.7 for a minimum fare of up to 2 km and Rs.3.50 for every additional km. In Bangalore, the minimum fare is Rs.12 for two km and Rs.6 for every additional km.

The failure to revise fare enables the auto drivers to demand exorbitant sums by citing the petrol price hike.

M.S. Rajendran of the CITU Auto Union says they have consulted the new Government on fare revision. "We have suggested Rs.15 as the minimum fare and Rs.7 for every additional km. If the Government agrees to revise fares, auto drivers in the city will be more than willing to run their vehicles based on meter and a fixed rate." According to the CITU, Chennai has approximately 50,000 autorickshaws running on valid permits. Add to that another 10,000 vehicles from the suburbs, the number of autos plying everyday could be over 60,000. Mr. Rajendran says there is no point in purchasing electronic meters when the fare has not been revised.

Auto drivers point out that if pre-paid stands are to succeed then all drivers must be allowed to access them. Currently, only a set of auto drivers are permitted by the Railway Police to enter the pre-paid stand. The drivers allege this has led to formation of cartels.

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