Tamil Nadu - Coimbatore   

Fleecing blamed on autorickshaw stands

Special Correspondent

Union leader says more trips will overcome problem

UNDER FIRE: Autorickshaw stands such as this one at Ukkadam in the city are accused of promoting fleecing. — PHOTO: S. SIVA SARAVANAN

COIMBATORE: Charges of autorickshaw stands promoting fleecing resurface in the wake of the latest move for meter fare.

Drivers insisting on enforcement of the fare fixed by the Government say that the stands impede moves to do away with fleecing. Unions reject the charge and argue that the stands are necessary for easy access for the public to autorickshaws.

A driver in support of the present fare of Rs. 14 fixed recently says it has to be enforced ruthlessly. But, the system of autorickshaw stands must be removed first to aid the process of enforcement. All the stands in the city are unauthorised and these continue to exist because of the boards declaring affiliation to political parties or unions.

One of the drivers who valiantly tried operating with the minimum meter fare of Rs. 7 from late 1997 to early 1998 says it is difficult for a small group of drivers to overcome the majority's decision to reject the meter fare.

The stands help these people unite and elevate fleecing to a level that even the officials cannot combat, says the driver.

Income

If the vehicles are on the move, they can pick up passengers wherever they are flagged down. A good income can be ensured even through a fare such as Rs. 14 if the vehicles do not idle at the stands, he says.

But, the present situation is that the drivers want to make big money in a short time. The members of one stand disallow those from another from picking up passengers on its territory. This, in turn, leads to the drivers charging for the empty trip back to their respective stands. And, this sum is always huge. For instance, the fare from the railway junction to Gandhipuram will not be more than Rs. 20 if the Rs.14 fare is fixed for Coimbatore (as in Chennai). But, the present rates range from Rs. 35 to Rs. 40, admits a driver who operates from a stand near the Collectorate. This brings the fare of two trips in just one.

Extra charge

The argument is that the extra Rs. 20 is for the empty return trip.

This extra charge can be eliminated if the stands are removed, drivers against this system point out. People should be able to hire an autorickshaw at any point. But the Joint Committee of Coimbatore District All Autorickshaw Workers' Unions says stands are necessary. The vehicles should be available at fixed locations, instead of making people hunt for them.

Committee president P.K. Sukumaran says autorickshaws cannot idle in the stands if there is more public patronage for a fixed fare. "We are also working out an arrangement where the vehicle from a stand in Gandhipuram can drop a passenger at the railway junction and pick up another from there." But, the `outsider' vehicle will have to wait in the queue. Forcible removal of stands will prove counter-productive, he warns.

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