‘Crack the whip on auto drivers’

NEW DELHI: One thing that a fare hike for autorickshaws and taxis will not achieve is winning back the faith of the much-fleeced Delhiite. Having being overcharged on tampered meters several times a day, people seem apprehensive about the government’s hope that an ‘‘adequately compensated’’ driver will ply on an un-tampered electronic meter.
‘‘I will never have faith in a meter,’’ said Payal Dhar, a Greater Kailash resident and a freelance writer.‘‘In any case, we are already being charged much more than any new fare can compensate. A fare hike will give drivers an excuse to charge even more. Before the last hike, I used to pay Rs 20 for a trip between GK and South Extension. After the hike, it’s Rs 25. If the proposed hike comes into force, they’ll charge Rs 40,’’ she said. Given that the drivers can tamper with just about anything, Dhar would much rather fix a rate than spend the entire journey staring at a speeding meter. ‘‘Although I know I’m settling for too much, at least it saves me mental agony at the end of the journey,’’ she said.
Agreed Namrata Saraswat, retail services executive with a multinational shoe company. ‘‘People will never have faith in a meter. Autorickshaw drivers have a reputation for cheating people and it would be naive to expect them to change track just because fares have been hiked,’’ she said.
In fact, everyone would probably go back to fixing a rate at the beginning, said Saraswat. ‘‘Nobody will pay such high rates. People will avoid autorickshaws. Finally, the drivers will have to agree on a fixed rate,’’ she said.
Sudipto Poti — a Safdarjang Enclave resident who has been in the city for just six months or so and has been well-fleeced — can’t fathom why a determined government cannot make erring drivers toe the line. ‘‘In other cities like Bangalore, everyone plies on meter. Nobody thinks that a meter will be tampered with. If the government is serious about a crackdown and is able to ensure that the electronic meters are fair and running, I wouldn’t mind paying more. But hiking rates in the hope that drivers won’t cheat is just wishful thinking,’’ he said.
A severe crackdown is the only solution, says Deepankar Mukherjee, a Rohini resident and a human resource development executive. ‘‘Only yesterday, an autorickshaw driver simply refused to ply on an electronic meter from Noida to ITO. Needless to say, I was grossly overcharged. Do you think the drivers would care if the rates were hiked?’’ he said.
Agreed Pratik Seal, a Mayur Vihar resident working with an advertising agency. ‘‘I have never seen anyone cheat customers as autorickshaw drivers here do. A fare hike won’t help. Only a severe crackdown can improve matters,’’ he said.