Auto drivers take people for a ride

Auto drivers take people for a ride
Wednesday January 16 2008 07:13 IST

Bosky Khanna

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BANGALORE: Many commuters were in for a shock on Tuesday morning with autorickshaw drivers demanding and collecting ‘revised’ fares.

Autorickshaw drivers, have been demanding an ‘increased minimum fare’ of Rs 15 instead of Rs 12 on their own. Officials expressed surprise over the development and have asked people to report such instances to the police.

There have been reports of autorickshaw drivers in R T Nagar, Bannerghatta Road, Yeshwantpur Road and Rajajinagar demanding extra, claiming that the Government had revised fares from Sunday. In some cases, they collected Rs 15 and even Rs 20 as minimum fare, instead of Rs 12.

Many of them had even pasted the ‘revised fare’ chart on their vehicles and claimed that their meters are yet to be recalibrated. On Friday, autorickshaw drivers stayed off the roads demanding revision of fares.

The Regional Transport Authority (RTA) officials said the proposal to increase the fare is under consideration and will be discussed at a meeting on January 17. It was earlier decided that the fare, which was increased from Rs 10 to Rs 12, will remain till the price of LPG goes above Rs 40.

The current price of LPG is around Rs 35 a litre. Adarsha Auto and Taxi Drivers Union President Manjunath said after the strike, a few people issued notices to drivers stating that fares were hiked. This has led to confusion. Bangalore Urban Deputy Commissioner M A Sadiq was unaware of the ‘hike’.

‘‘As of now, there is no plan to hike the fare. It is illegal to collect more from commuters. We will soon speak to RTO officers and traffic police to initiate action. In case drivers demand more, commuters must note down the number and report to the police,’’ he added.

Auto Drivers Unions Federation has urged autorickshaw drivers not to charge excess till the government revises the fares.