Auto drivers back to their old ways

Auto drivers back to their old ways

Vijay Times News

Bangalore: Taking a serious note of tampering of meters to fleece unsuspecting commuters in the City, the transport department will crack down on erring autorickshaw operators launching a drive in coordination with the Department of Weights and Measures.

As per the rough estimates, the transport department sources point out almost 50 per cent of autorickshaws have been operating with tampered meters to earn an extra Rs 2 every km they travel. They admit the illegal practice has gone undetected with not many operators being caught so far.

Firstly, they point out they get the registration and fitness certificate secured from the RTO using a genuine meter. Having cleared the hurdle, they replace it with a tampered one. In fact, there are outlets which have been doing roaring business using their expertise in tampering a meter. The dimension to their earnings can be gauged from the fact that a popular one sought after by the fraternity for the job can earn up to Rs 3,000 on a daily basis.

There has been a reluctance to use digital meters among the auto drivers as they are tamper-proof. Though a widespread opinion among the authorities that digital meters be made compulsory, they have been restricted by a shortage of manpower to monitor and ensure its strict implementation, they added.