Action against errant auto-drivers leads to increase in KMT’s revenue: Officials

KOLHAPUR: The joint action against the illegal transportation by auto-rickshaws has led to an increase in the passenger count of buses and thereby, the revenue of the

Kolhapur

Municipal Transport (KMT).

Several times, the KMT officials had claimed that the picking up of passengers at KMT bus stops by the private transporters has led to huge losses for the transport administration. The officials estimate that around 30% of the daily losses are due to such transporters.

The auto-rickshaw’s pick up passengers who are waiting for the KMT buses to arrive, despite having been allocated separate spaces for stops.

The officials involved in the action claimed that the KMT’s revenue has increased by Rs20,000 to Rs25,000 per day, since the action against the errant auto-rickshaw’s has started.

Sunil Jadhav, the transport controller of the KMT said, “A team has been formed with officials from the traffic police department,

regional transport office

as well as KMT officials. We conduct random visits to the KMT bus stops and a fine of Rs200 is imposed on the auto-drivers, who are picking up the passengers that are waiting for the KMT buses. It is not just that the KMT faces losses, many times the passengers also face inconvenience due to such errant behaviour on the part of the auto-drivers. We have sought more officials from other departments to form more teams. However, we have cited shortage of staff as the reason for declining to provide more officials.”

Along with the action against auto-drivers who are allowed to operate in the city jurisdiction, the action is also being taken against those who have been permitted to operate in the rural areas but pick up passengers from bus stops located in the fringe parts of the city.

About such auto-drivers, the KMT has requested the Regional Transport Office (RTO) department to cancel their permits along with imposing a huge fine. The officials claim that although the fine of Rs200 is less, it has deterred the auto-drivers from trying to pick up the passengers who are waiting for KMT buses. “Repeated offences by auto-drivers or any other local private transporter will be followed by the cancellation of their permission to operate. As per the suggestions made by the auto-rickshaw unions, the RTO has decided to increase their number of stops so that they do not have to operate in an illegal manner,” said Jadhav.


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