In 3 years, police slapped Rs 34 lakh fine on Bengaluru auto-rickshaw drivers for overcharging: Minister Ramalinga Reddy

Cases were also registered against auto-rickshaw drivers who refused to offer service upon requests from customers. “We have registered 2,183 cases in 2022, 1,537 in 2023 and 3,212 in 2024 against auto-rickshaw drivers who refused rides to customers,” said Reddy, adding that cases have been registered under the Motor Vehicles Act.

However, experts feel that with auto-rickshaws providing nearly a million rides daily, the regulation on overcharging and the issue of drivers refusing rides remains dormant.

Satya Arikutharam, an urban mobility expert, said apart from auto-rickshaw drivers, even aggregator giants like Ola and Uber charge more than the prescribed fare. “This happens, despite submitting an undertaking to the Karnataka High Court that they will charge as per government-fixed rates. The abysmally low number of crackdowns reflects the government’s inaction and a complete breakdown of regulatory authorities,” Arikutharam said.

Meanwhile, Bengaluru auto-rickshaw drivers’ unions have demanded a fare hike, and asked the government to increase the base fare by Rs 10. With this revision, the base fare for the first 2 km will be Rs 40, while the charge for every subsequent kilometre will be Rs 20.