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Revision of autorickshaw fares is long overdue

— .Photo : T. Singaravelou

Unfair: Exorbitant fares cause hardship to auto travellers in Puducherry.

With no revision of fare for the last several years and government not making mandatory fixing of metres, public are made to pay fares, as demanded by autorickshaw drivers. Travelling in an autorickshaw, especially for those visiting the territory for the first time, had become a very costly affair with drivers collecting exorbitant charges.

Several commuters have narrated to The Hindu their harrowing experiences while travelling in autorickshaws in Puducherry. Manoharan, a resident of Vanarapet, said “Recently, I hired an autorickshaw to pick up my relatives from the new bus stand to my home. The auto driver demanded Rs. 40, for a distance of around one km.”

“My wife took an autorickshaw from the ashram to go to a hotel on S.V. Patel Salai. When she got off and paid Rs. 30, the auto driver made a big fuss and demanded Rs. 50, which she eventually had to give him, to avoid trouble. Commuters who cannot speak Tamil are the most exploited,” complained Pankaj, a resident in the Boulevard.

According to P. Devanathan, moderator, People’s Pulse, a social welfare organisation, the charges were fixed by the drivers according to their whims and fancies. Flaying the government for the situation, he said that six months ago, when bus fares were hiked marginally, bus authorities were warned. When bus drivers went on strike, a meeting was held, and finally bus drivers were convinced to revert to the old tariff until an official increase in bus fares was eventually ordered by the government. For a marginal hike of 50 paise, the government reacted strongly but auto drivers are driving around unchecked, he said. Metres were actually compulsory for every autorickshaw plying on the roads. But the police were claiming that it was not mandatory. There are two requirements to obtain a fitness certificate for an autorickshaw – a certificate that says the autorickshaw adheres to pollution standards, and a certificate for the metre. . The former was given by a private agency authorised by the government, and the latter, by the Weights and Measures Department, Government of Puducherry, he said.

Traffic police admit that they come across several instances in which commuters enter into heated arguments with auto drivers over payment of fare. “There is a group that acts as hooligans spoiling the name of the entire community. This group often has the backing of influential persons in the society,” said a senior official.

R. Kumaravel, who has been driving an autorickshaw for the last 18 years and a member of Centre of Indian Trade Unions, said the entire community of auto drivers was blamed for those who charge exorbitant rates of Rs. 40 to Rs. 60 for short distances, he said. The government had not paid heed to their representations and protests to revise the rates which would solve the problem, he added. Consumer activists stressed the need to enforce installation of metres in auto rickshaws. “In Bangalore, auto fare for five kilo metres is Rs. 20 to Rs. 25. But here, we need to pay Rs. 40 to travel from a place like Venkata Nagar to Manakula Vinayagar Temple. Autos were introduced in Puducherry during late 70’s to early 80’s. Prior to that, we were travelling by cycle rickshaws which were very cheap,” S. Vaithianathan, president of Consumer Association of Pondicherry.

G. Srinivasan, a member of CITU, said “The trouble makers are the one that runs without any proper documents. We have several times appealed to the Road Transport Department to seize all such vehicles. But no action has been taken so far”

According to officials in RTO, the department has issued permits for 2,462 autorickshaws in Puducherry alone. The Government Order issued in 2001 stipulating auto fares was yet to be revised. It had fixed a minimum charge of Rs. 8 for up to two km, while the detention charges were 50 paise for every half hour, a senior official pointed out.

In fact, the Transport Commissioner had sent a proposal for revising rates in 2008, but the government was yet to issue new orders. “In the proposed revision, we have fixed a minimum charge of Rs. 15 for daytime trips which are from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. The drivers should collect only Rs. 15 for the first two km and then Rs. 7 for each additional km. The detention charges will be 50 paise for every five minutes,” he added. For night time trips from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m., an additional fare of 25 per cent of the daytime trips could be charged as per the proposal, the official said.

Senior Superintendent of Police (Law and Order) B. Srikanth said it was true that a section of auto drivers take commuters for a ride. “Any decision on fare revision and introduction of metre has to be taken at the administrative level. Police do not have any say in such administrative matters.” Mr. Srikanth said the department was considering of sending a proposal to the government to introduce pre-paid system in the New Bus Stand, Beach and Ashram, where police booths already functioned.

Mr. Devanathan suggested that the phone number of the RTO and the mobile number of a police officer be painted on the autorickshaw so that passengers can call in case of any trouble. Also, either the police or the RTO must take responsibility for addressing such issues, instead of passing on the baton to the other. Preferably, policemen in booths stationed at many points in the town, must address these issues.

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