Being at the mercy of auto drivers

Being at the mercy of auto drivers

The Hindu

Most of the e-mails I get from the public relate to complaints against drivers: M.A. Saleem

# People complain of being taken for a ride by auto drivers
# A common grouse of commuters is about drivers refusing to take them to their destinations


BANGALORE: "Most of the e-mails I receive from the public relate to complaints against autorickshaw drivers," says Deputy Commissioner of Police (Traffic-East) M. Abdullah Saleem.

A majority of these complaints are about drivers refusing to come on hire.

Apart from the e-mails, Mr. Saleem points out, around a dozen people call him on his mobile phone every day, mainly during late evenings and night, to complain that the autorickshaw drivers are refusing to come on hire.

If you are dependent on autorickshaws for your transport, chances are that you may be stranded for hours on the road and reach home late every day.

Commuters who are compelled to hire autorickshaws are literally "taken for a ride" by the drivers.

Many of the drivers not only refuse to go to certain destinations, but also on several occasions force the unsuspecting travellers to pay up much more than what the meter shows.

Long wait

"My office is on Mahatma Gandhi Road and on days when I do not bring my vehicle to work, getting an autorickshaw is next to impossible, especially after 9 p.m. I have to wait for at least two hours before I finally come across a driver who is willing to take me to my destination. Even then, one has to shell out at least two to three times the actual fare," says Sanjeeth Boloor, who works for an information technology major.

In view of the increasing complaints of drivers refusing to go on hire, the traffic police are planning to increase the pre-paid autorickshaw stands in the city from 11 to 50, Mr. Saleem told The Hindu.

Refusing to go on hire is a violation of the permit condition. During the first five months of the current year, the police have registered 10,019 cases against the drivers for this offence, he said.

Still, there are instances of commuters, who board autorickshaws at pre-paid stands, being bullied by the drivers.

Excuses

"At the Mahatma Gandhi Road stand, the drivers usually agree to take you to your destination, as a traffic constable is always around. But on many occasions, I have been asked by drivers to get down after the autorickshaw has covered some distance. They give lame excuses such as they have run out of fuel or do not know the route, and I have been left stranded in places where there are no autorickshaws," says P. Ganesan, a visually impaired person, who lives in Koramangala.

Mr. Saleem agrees that some drivers do that and suggests that commuters should note down the police serial number mentioned in the driver details card displayed in the autorickshaw and complain to the police.

Apart from complaints about autorickshaw drivers refusing to go on hire, taking circuitous or wrong distances and demanding excess fare, the police have also receive complaints of drivers at autorickshaw stands passing comments at women.

Cases

Further, in the past one year, more than 20 cases of autorickshaw drivers and their accomplices robbing the commuters, mainly during the night, have also been reported.

As the autorickshaw is a major mode of public transport in the city, the police are planning several measures to improve the autorickshaw service.

The police have got complaint cards printed and distributed them to 145 residents' associations and also made them available at malls and other public places.

Using these cards, people can lodge complaints of any violation by autorickshaw drivers, Mr. Saleem says.

Honest drivers

Even as there are complaints galore against autorickshaw drivers, there are several of them who have proved their honesty.

Drivers handing over to the office of Deputy Commissioner of Police (Public Relations), the baggage, mobile phones and other valuables left behind in autorickshaws by passengers is common.

On several occasions the drivers have returned even gold jewellery and cash the passengers had left in their vehicles.

Drivers have also saved many lives by shifting accident victims to hospitals, without any monetary expectation.

The police have rewarded hundreds of autorickshaw drivers for their honesty.