Auto fares burn holes in commuters’ pockets

The Chandigarh Administration has fixed the fare for ordinary autos at Rs 10 per km and Rs 4 for every subsequent km. But drivers hardly follow the fare chart.

Besides,though complaint number 2700159 is displayed on each auto,passengers seem not to take notice of it.

Sushil Kumar,Senior Assistant of State Transport Authority (STA) said,“We receive two to three complaints a day about dysfunctional metres,sometimes none. It is not very effective to do a follow up as passengers do not disclose their identity.”

A passenger,Rajni Sharma,said: “The auto drivers ask for more than what should be charged. It is not fair at all for those who depend on public transport for day-to-day commuting.”

The drivers fool commuters by saying that they are overcharging due to a hike in the petrol prices,when actually the autos run on LPG,she added. Another frequently used excuse is that of non-working metres.

A auto driver in Sector 19 said: “The gas prices have risen to Rs 40 per litre and the STA is doing nothing about old metre rates. We are helpless.” He added that most passengers do not prefer the metre as they feel travelling in autos is cheaper without them.

One of three motor vehicle inspectors in the city,Ravinder Singh,said: “We penalise any auto driver who does not follow rules. A challan of Rs 300 is issued against the driver.”

Due to time constraints,the passengers have no option but to travel by an auto.

Karandeep Kaur,originally from Rajasthan,said: “For the same distance,autos take double or triple the amount that buses do,but we are helpless as reaching office on time is a priority.”

The city has around 2,500 registered autos with electronic metre system,the rest — which run on diesel/petrol — will be phased out soon. The case regarding phasing out of autos,however,is pending in the high court.

“The follow up on the electronic meter system has been a setback as the Chandigarh Administration is yet to revise the rates,” said STA Secretary Mahavir Kaushik.