M. Sampath, president of the Madras Metro Autorickshaw Drivers’ Association, parks his bike at the Puratchi Thalaivar Dr. MGR Central railway station every time he travels, so that he can ride back home, instead of taking an autorickshaw.
He fears he will be fleeced by the drivers, inside and outside the station.
Now, with the State Transport Department gearing up to start GPS-enabled meters in auto rickshaws on a pilot basis, he, like other passengers and unions, is hopeful that fleecing will end. But the Transport Department and the police must enforce it properly, he says.
Independent functioning
There are close to 82,000 autorickshaws plying in the city and its suburbs.
Of this, most are affiliated to unions. “However, the vehicles found outside railway stations, the Koyambedu bus terminus and malls across the city, function independently. We have been constantly asking them not to demand exorbitant rates from passengers, but they never listen,” said Mr. Sampath.
Though the fares were revised in 2013 after a gap of six years, it was implemented properly only for a few weeks. The fare for the first 1.8 km is ₹25, and ₹12 is charged for every additional kilometre. Late night charges are 50% higher than the normal fare.
“For a distance of 2 km, an autorickshaw driver outside a mall in Royapettah demanded ₹250. When I tried to complain to a traffic policemen, the driver, with a sardonic smile, said he was affiliated to a political party and the police cannot even book a case against him,” said K. Nandakumar, a central government employee, living in Mylapore.
A.L. Manoharan, State president, Auto Thozhilalar Sangam, north Chennai, said it was only drivers outside malls and railway stations who charged exorbitant rates and not those attached to registered unions. He wanted the Transport Department and the police to crackdown on them.
“We are ready to abide by rates fixed by the government, but they should be revised every two years, corresponding to the increase in fuel price and cost of living, among other factors. We do not have any intention to fleece passengers,” said A.L. Manoharan, State president, Auto Thozhilalar Sangam, north Chennai.
Shake off bad image
Autorickshaw drivers are hopeful about shaking off their bad reputation with the help of GPS meters.
According to an official from the Transport Department, the meters will be installed in 2,000 vehicles initially, and the pilot will be done at the Thiruvanmiyur RTO. “Infrastructure is being set up for the same. The control room will be in the RTO office on the New Avadi Road,” said the official
However, passengers want proper enforcement of the same.
“Autorickshaws are supposed to ply as per the meter. But this has not happened in the city for years,” said T. Sadagopan, president, Tamil Nadu Progressive Consumer Centre.
He said neither the traffic police nor the Transport Department had bothered to take erring drivers to task, like they do with motorists who do not wear helmets. “Drivers can demand a flat rate from the passenger, without even turning on the meter, if there is no proper enforcement. Besides, several policemen and politicians own the autorickshaws. This could be a reason why fleecing goes unchecked,” he said.
