Commuters made to shell out Rs.20 more
The increase in petrol prices — by Rs.5.29 a litre from Sunday — has come as a convenient excuse yet again for autorickshaw drivers in the city to demand more fare.
On Sunday, those who regularly use autorickshaws had to shell out at least Rs.20 more on any trip of more than two kilometres. A person who hired an autorickshaw from Vaidhyaraman Street in T. Nagar to travel to Wallajah Road, Triplicane, said he paid Rs.100. Until a few days ago, the same eight-km trip used to cost him Rs.80.
Liani Tlau lives in Choolaimedu and commutes to her workplace in Chetpet, a distance of two km, by autorickshaw everyday. “I pay Rs.50-60 one way. Sometimes they demand Rs.70. I have travelled in many other cities and rates in Chennai are extremely high. The fare meters are never used. Every time I take an autorickshaw, I feel I am ripped off,” she said.
Jaya, who travels from Kellys junction to Stella Maris College daily, said she would have to shell out Rs.30 more from Monday for each trip.
Firm grip
Commuters such as Raghavan, a resident of Nanganallur, also complain about the firm grip that autorickshaw stands have on many neighbourhoods. “Stand autorickshaws further hike up fares. The stands lead to a monopoly in operation. No other autorickshaw is allowed into the locality. They set their own fare structure and commuters have no choice.”
J. Seshasayanam, general secretary of the Madras Metro Auto Drivers' Association, says: “We are left with no option but to increase fares. The government has to do something about the fuel price. Government-approved autorickshaw fares have changed only twice in the past two decades. However, just in the past one year, fuel price has risen 10 times. The new government has to invite all the trade unions for talks and make efforts to introduce a new fare structure.”
Minimal share
Though autorickshaw drivers constantly complain about fuel price hikes, studies show that the fuel component accounts for only around 35 per cent of operational expenditure for a driver. N.S. Srinivasan, former Director of the National Transportation Planning and Research Centre, says that even if petrol prices increase by Rs.8 per litre, the increase in fare per kilometre should be only 25 paise to maintain the “same level of profit for the autorickshaw driver.”
C. Lakshminarain, president of the Madras Auto Passengers Association, said that autorickshaws also offer a decent mileage of 30 km per litre of petrol.
“Drivers demand three times more than the fixed charges. Once the new government is in place, we plan to take up agitations to regularise autorickshaw fares and ensure the use of fare meters,” he said.
Keywords: petrol price hike
It is high time that a fair formula with meter should be arrived at in consultation with Auto Drivers' Union and the commuting public. Once the meters are fixed with the new rates, the new rule should be enforced. The government officials who are supposed to implement the rule should themselves travel by the autos and find out the ground reality. They need not wait for any complaint from the public. However, a direct mobile no. should be provided to public for immediate redressal of their complaints. I believe this is possible under the new administration of JJ.
With heavy heart I declare our behavior in using, pricing, subsidizing, distributing, using, conserving, substituting and adjudicating costly, inflammatory, inflationary, polluting and toxic petro products made from 10000% value added imported crude oil highly childish and wrong. We have priced and taxed petrol too much. We are subsidizing cooking fuels which is not needed. Cooking fuel distributed to poor on subsidized prices is being solely used by middle class and rich. We are using costly petro products and not at all using free and infinite solar for cooking, water heating, sky lighting, steam making, drying, dehydrating food, distilling fluids and purifying water etc. Instead of conserving we are insisting on over use by all sorts of activities and by not using free solar energy free rain water and cheap Indian electricity. We are not willing to substitute costly petro products which are imported by indigenous and cheaper Indian energy sources. Judiciary wants improperly stored food given free to poor but is not ordering government to look in to these very important petro energy related matters.
Now that's what we call Politics. It's high time government should realise and introduce meter system in chennai. It's not the question of middle class or high class when it's need they have to rely on autos. Within one km distance they will not charge you less than Rs.30. Even the CNG Auto will demand the same. Chennai will be admired by all if Government will come down to public level and think about it. Other states are doing well not only because of people and infrastructure but government also and auto prices is one of the major to look for. Hope, new government will take some beneficiary steps.
The new Govt. should take up this matter on war footing and do some thing to ensure that Auro fares are regulated, as users normally office goers and other lower middle class people. (Ruling) Party based Auto assns. could lead the rest of the Auto assns.and rescue the general public.
Spare a thought for the vellakaran's and vellakari's in the city who are seen as walking ATM's for these auto drivers. Many foreigners are coming to help NGO's or study and don't have the luxury of a company car & driver yet the auto drivers just think it's a chance to get a double or triple fare compared to picking up a local. On top of that if you have to give a landmark as the general location you are going in, the auto driver will stop dead by the landmark and ask for more money to continue. Nonsense!
It is unfair for auto drivers to complain about government-approved auto fare structures, given that they never follow it...every auto has the minimum fare painted as Rs. 14.00, but do they ever take anything less than Rs. 20 for even a half-kilometer strech? Even in states where the fuel price is higher, auto fares are cheaper and more stardadised than in Chennai. It is only in our city, that fares rise based on day of the week, time of day, destination, the appearence of the person who hails the auto, their age and so many random factors (including it's election or counting day) apart from distance travelled! Hopefully the new government will be able to do something about this and put all the new fitted meters in autos to use!
I am already paying Rs.50 (which is the minimum fare nowadays) for a distance of 1 km. God knows what these guys will charge now. Not a single govt. till date has been able to bring these auto guys under control.
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