: Autorickshaws plying within the city limits have got a makeover. The black-and-yellow shade has given way to a bright yellow appearance for three-wheelers with valid city permits.
The new colour code and the distribution of fresh city permits were formally launched by Transport Minister A.K. Saseendran at a function at the Kanakakkunnu Palace here on Friday. Pointing out that the initiative can be emulated in other parts of the State, Mr. Saseendran called for a study on the demand for autorickshaws at specific locations across the city.
“While there is demand for autorickshaws right through the day at certain locations such as the Thiruvananthapuram Medical College, the bus terminal and the Central Railway Station at Thampanoor, there were other areas that did not have much demand. By allotting autorickshaws at various locations in accordance with the necessity, we would be able to ensure the availability of sufficient number of services for the public. In addition, drivers stood to benefit from a steady level of income by ascertaining that autorickshaws were spread across the region in an optimum manner,” he said.
Mr. Saseendran also entrusted Transport Commissioner Tomin J. Thachankary with the responsibility of studying the feasibility of reserving 10 per cent of the city permits for women drivers.Aggregator software
Delivering the keynote address, Mr. Thachankary stressed the need to adopt technological advancements for autorickshaw drivers to cope with the changing times. He proposed an aggregator software that would enable passengers to seek the services of autorickshaws without much hassles. This would enable the drivers to keep pace with private taxi aggregators. Motorcycle and bicycle rentals were another business avenues, he pointed out.
In all, 1,000 autorickshaws were issued city permits on Friday.
Currently, the formalities for issuing 9,082 permits have been completed by the Thiruvananthapuram Regional Transport Authority. It was in 1995 that city permits had been issued previously when as many as 4,550 permits were distributed.
