No more arguments with auto drivers

No more arguments with auto drivers
New Mobile Testing Ramp Could Check Tampering Of Rickshaw Meters
The Times of India

Bangalore: Do you travel the same distance by auto every day but end up paying different fares? Thousands of Bangaloreans who use the yellow-hooded three wheeler face the same problem every day. But your days of worry are drawing to a close — thanks to a novel device that will bring drivers to book.

Secretary at Regional Transport Authority (RTA), Bangalore Urban and Regional Transport Officer (RTO) Bangalore South, Syed Shafi Ahmed has forwarded a proposal for approval to the state government. Under this proposal, a mobile testing ramp for autorickshaw meters has been mooted.

An ingenious contraption by a local engineering firm, it can be compared to a treadmill. The auto is driven onto the machine and the ignition turned on. While the auto wheels turn, the vehicle remains stationary. A digital meter on the vehicle monitors the distance and the corresponding auto fare.

At the end of a 3-kilometre run, the auto is stopped and the fare on the metre is tallied with the fare shown on the digital monitor of the testing ramp. If both fares tally, it would mean the metre has been accurately set. But any difference in fares will expose tampering.

“Previously, one would have to remove the metre, take it to the weights and measurements department on Infantry Road and get it tested. It was an ardours process that would take up an entire day,’’ recalls Ahmed.
If this new testing ramp gets a nod of approval, it would come as a sigh of relief to both officials from RTO as well as commuters. A mobile vehicle, it can test autos anywhere, anytime, in a matter of minutes. The testing ramp costs approximately Rs 5 lakh and according to Ahmed, the RTOs can begin by acquiring one in each zone, with the ramp do the rounds in the region everyday. “There are a handful of prepaid counters in the city, but from there too we receive complaints,’’ says transport commissioner Omprakash. “Our officers do their routine checks and we’re taking care to make them more stringent.’’ But the commuters have a different tale to tell.

“I travel everyday from J P Nagar to M G Road and the metre sometimes even shoots up to Rs 65 instead of the usual Rs 50 or so. Try arguing and the drivers get rude,’’ says software professional Trupthi Iyer. Cases like these increase in the evening hours and during rains.

RTOs across the city have stepped up the fines from Rs 2,000 to Rs 5,000 for their first offence, which includes metre tampering, refusing to go to a particular place or misbehaviour. The second time offence can cost an auto driver anything between Rs 5,000 and Rs 10,000. On third offence, the driver stands to lose his license.

HOW DOES IT WORK?

The auto is driven on the machine and ignition turned on While the auto wheels turn, the vehicle remains stationary A digital meter on the vehicle monitors the distance and the corresponding auto fare At the end of a 3-kilometre run, the auto is stopped and the metre fare is tallied with the fare on the digital monitor