Don’t pay new fares to autos, taxis before Thursday: Transport chief

MUMBAI: It is still two days to the increased taxi and auto fares coming into effect, but drivers have already started charging the revised amounts. This has prompted state transport commissioner V N More to appeal to Mumbaikars not to pay extra till the revised fares come into effect from Thursday, October 11.
“We are printing new tariff cards, which are expected to be ready by Tuesday evening,” More said.Over two lakh cards will be distributed among drivers by Wednesday night so that they are ready for Thursday’s changeover. Consumer rights activist Shirish Deshpande said commuters should not pay a single paisa extra to drivers before official tariff cards were released by the RTO.
Subir Saha, who travelled from Bandra to Tata Memorial Hospital in a taxi last weekend, said, “I was surprised when the driver demanded money as per the revised fare chart. I argued with him and reminded him that it was illegal to charge passengers before the new rates came into effect. Realizing that I was aware of the rules, the driver accepted money as per norm and drove away. But I am sure he must have succeeded in cheating gullible passengers.”
Aarti Gupta, a commuter, said she was shocked to find that the fare demanded by the driver of an auto she took was much higher than the normal rate. “The meter reading was normal. But the driver was demanding fare as per the revised rates, which was unacceptable.”
Transport officials have asked commuters to download a copy of the new tariff card, which will soon be posted online on the websites mahatranscom.in (the site of the transport commissioner’s office) and trafficpolicemumbai.org (the site of the city’s traffic police).
An official said, “The uploaded tariff cards, giving a clear fare break-up according to distances travelled will be a ready reckoner for commuters. We advise people to take printouts and carry them in wallets or purses.”
Deshpande also took up commuters’ accusations that the government was treating the transport sector, where cheating of consumers is rampant, with velvet gloves. “Nearly 70% of auto drivers have still not switched to electronic meters and most of them have meters rigged. Now that the government has granted them a huge fare hike of Rs 3, is there any guarantee that commuters will get the best of service?”
: Fares hiked, who’ll book the crooks?
Commuters cannot be faulted for wondering about the need for such frequent hikes in auto-rickshaw and taxi fares, given the total lack of any improvement in service. The hike, in fact, seems to have become another excuse to loot commuters. The commuter does not mind paying for service. But does a sector, where many service providers seem to be crooks and look for the first opportunity to swindle consumers, deserve regular hikes? Raising fares cannot be the government’s only responsibility in the transport sector; regulating the sector and protecting consumers are far more important.