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In response to repeated complaints from passengers about being overcharged by autorickshaw drivers, especially during and after the festive season, the Pune Traffic Department has announced that the prepaid autorickshaw booth at Pune Railway Station was resumed on Thursday.
The prepaid booth had been shut down a few days ago due to the enforcement of the model code of conduct and the expiration of its 100-day permit. The traffic administration’s failure to issue a new permit forced the booth’s management to close operations, causing inconvenience to passengers and frequent disputes with drivers over inflated fares.
According to the booth management staff, the permit, which began on July 27, was valid for 100 days and expired on October 22. However, neither the Railways, the Regional Transport Office (RTO), nor the Traffic Department took any action to renew it. “The traffic administration has now instructed us to resume operations after we raised complaints about the surge in passenger grievances regarding unregistered drivers,” a staff member said.
The booth’s inauguration was part of a joint initiative by the Railways, RTO, Traffic Police, Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC), and autorickshaw unions under a 100-day agreement aimed at preventing overcharging by unauthorised autorickshaw drivers.
Manoj Patil, Additional Commissioner of Police (Traffic), Pune, has directed the booth’s operations to continue and assured that a new agreement date will be finalised soon. However, booth controllers have requested a longer-term approval instead of the current 100-day arrangement to ensure stability.
Passengers are being urged to use the prepaid booth for booking rides instead of relying on random autorickshaw drivers. The booth operates with fares pre-determined by the Traffic and RTO departments, which are typically two to three times lower than those charged by unregistered drivers. During the 100-day operational period, the booth facilitated approximately 13,867 trips, generating Rs 22.37 lakh in fares and benefiting 1,226 registered autorickshaw drivers.
