On the Move: Beating over-the-meter fare with ridesharing

Groups of passengers share autorickshaws to common destinations to avoid overcharging; trend grows in suburbs

With the cost of autorickshaw rides going up and passengers finding it increasingly tiring to haggle the fare, a new trend is emerging, especially in the suburbs: that of ridesharing an autorickshaw.

R. Vijayalakshmi from Minjur travels to Kilpauk for work, every day. She also has a 20-minute autorickshaw ride on her way back home.

“In the evenings, three of us hail an autorickshaw and get down at a common point a few minutes away from our houses. This is easier than haggling with an autorickshaw driver or waiting for a share autorickshaw,” says Ms. Vijayalakshmi.

This practice is catching up in the city’s outskirts, she says. “At many bus stands, I have been approached by fellow-commuters who wish to share an autorickshaw. Rather than paying exorbitant fares, we save on money and get to our destinations with less hassle,” Ms. Vijayalakshmi says.

Surprisingly, autorickshaw drivers have welcomed the move. “Whether it is one person travelling or three, it does not make much of a difference to us. Also, larger groups do not haggle much over the fares,” says B. Jayaraj, an autorickshaw driver. Ridesharing is fairly common in city limits, he says.

With autorickshaw drivers often charging over the meter, ridesharing seems like a much viable option for commuters.