More pre-paid auto services in Bangalore

More pre-paid auto services in Bangalore
Deccan Herald

No more bickering with auto drivers over fare, no more suffering his unfriendly shrug as he refuses to take you to your destination and no more fears of getting unwelcome glances from a lewd auto driver. If you are commuting from Mahatma Gandhi Road, Dickenson Road and Bangalore Airport at least.

The Bangalore police will introduce pre-paid auto stands at the busy MG Road, Dickenson Road and Bangalore Airport on December 14.

On M G Road, the pre-paid auto stand will be located near Barton Centre, near the Hengalraya junction on Dickenson Road and inside the airport premises. The pre-paid auto stand on M G Road will be inaugurated by Bangalore Police Commissioner, Ajai Kumar Singh at 4 pm on Wednesday.

Deputy Commissioner of Police M A Saleem said 10 autos can be accommodated on the special lane marked for the autos.

Advising commuters to use the pre-paid facilities for their own convenience and safety, Saleem added that the charges are based on average distance between destinations. “The pre-paid card will only suggest the approximate distance and fare.

Any difference within the range of 10 per cent, more or less, should be adjusted between the driver and commuter,” he explained. The four-hour ban on autorickshaws on MG Road on Saturdays will not be a hindrance to the plan, Saleem said.

2 more stands later

The Traffic Police will introduce two more such pre-paid auto stands near Cauvery Arts Emporium on M G Road and outside the Forum Mall in Koramangala.

These auto stands have been implemented following complaints from the public that autorickshaw drivers refuse to come to the specified destinations. Pre-paid auto stands will be implemented soon in other parts of the City as well, Mr Saleem said. The Bangalore Traffic Police have booked 221 cases against autorickshaw drivers for demanding excess fare and 488 cases against drivers not going to the specified destination, last week.

Decision welcomed

Meanwhile, M Manjunatha, President, Adarsha Auto and Taxi Drivers Union, welcomed the decision, saying it will put a check on auto-drivers who do not have licences or who over-charge the customers. “The service charge collected by the traffic police should be invested in the welfare programmes of the autodrivers union,” he added.

Transport Commissioner Om Prakash too was positive about pre-paid auto stands, which he believed would bring an end to commuters’ woes at these busy junctions.

“With such additional services like pre-paid auto stands, the inconvenience to the public will be significantly reduced,” he said.