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Auto Fares Revised
Chennaites will no longer have to pay Rs.50 for travelling two kilometres in an autorickshaw or haggle with the autorickshaw driver over fares anymore.
The State government on Sunday announced Rs. 25 as the fare for the first 1.8 kilometres and Rs. 12 for every kilometre there on. The new fares will come into effect on Sunday.
There are a total of 2.14 lakh autorickshaws across the state and 71,470 of them in Chennai alone. The autorickshaw fare in 1996 was Rs.3.50 for the first two kilometres and Rs.1.50 for every additional kilometre. After this it was revised to Rs.14 and Rs. 6 in 2007.
Now after a gap of nearly six years, the government has revised the fares again after the Supreme Court gave a deadline to the State government to decide upon the fares. According to a press release from chief minister J. Jayalalithaa, the fare will be 50 % more between 11 p.m and 5 a.m. “Earlier it was between 10 p.m and 5 a.m,” said a transport department official.
The government has also announced that the waiting charges will be Rs. 3.50 for every five minutes and Rs. 42 for an hour. “Earlier it was Rs.10 for ten minutes. The rate cards can be collected by the drivers till September 15 from the regional transport offices and the drivers have to reset their meters by October 15,” said an official.
Besides, autorickshaw drivers also have a reason to smile as the state government will spend Rs. 80 crore to install meters fitted with GPS meters and electronic digital printers. The meters will also have panic button which the passengers can press in case they sense any danger from the driver and the police will immediately assist the commuter.
“We will be setting up a control room soon to monitor the movement of autorickshaws. We will also be fixing a helpline number to handle complaints related to autorickshaws. The number will be pasted on the vehicles prominently,” said the official.
The chief minister has also announced that permits of auto rickshaw drivers will be cancelled if they charge more than the revised fares. Their vehicles will also be seized.
Meanwhile, autorickshaw drivers have welcomed the move. “Our long fight has yielded results. Now the public will trust us more. But we need the government to increase the gas filling stations too as the petrol prices keep increasing often and this fare would not be sufficient then,” said J. Seshasayanam, general secretary of the Madras Metro Auto Drivers Association.
New fares for Chennai autorickshaws announced - The Hindu
Chennaites will no longer have to pay Rs.50 for travelling two kilometres in an autorickshaw or haggle with the autorickshaw driver over fares anymore.
The State government on Sunday announced Rs. 25 as the fare for the first 1.8 kilometres and Rs. 12 for every kilometre there on. The new fares will come into effect on Sunday.
There are a total of 2.14 lakh autorickshaws across the state and 71,470 of them in Chennai alone. The autorickshaw fare in 1996 was Rs.3.50 for the first two kilometres and Rs.1.50 for every additional kilometre. After this it was revised to Rs.14 and Rs. 6 in 2007.
Now after a gap of nearly six years, the government has revised the fares again after the Supreme Court gave a deadline to the State government to decide upon the fares. According to a press release from chief minister J. Jayalalithaa, the fare will be 50 % more between 11 p.m and 5 a.m. “Earlier it was between 10 p.m and 5 a.m,” said a transport department official.
The government has also announced that the waiting charges will be Rs. 3.50 for every five minutes and Rs. 42 for an hour. “Earlier it was Rs.10 for ten minutes. The rate cards can be collected by the drivers till September 15 from the regional transport offices and the drivers have to reset their meters by October 15,” said an official.
Besides, autorickshaw drivers also have a reason to smile as the state government will spend Rs. 80 crore to install meters fitted with GPS meters and electronic digital printers. The meters will also have panic button which the passengers can press in case they sense any danger from the driver and the police will immediately assist the commuter.
“We will be setting up a control room soon to monitor the movement of autorickshaws. We will also be fixing a helpline number to handle complaints related to autorickshaws. The number will be pasted on the vehicles prominently,” said the official.
The chief minister has also announced that permits of auto rickshaw drivers will be cancelled if they charge more than the revised fares. Their vehicles will also be seized.
Meanwhile, autorickshaw drivers have welcomed the move. “Our long fight has yielded results. Now the public will trust us more. But we need the government to increase the gas filling stations too as the petrol prices keep increasing often and this fare would not be sufficient then,” said J. Seshasayanam, general secretary of the Madras Metro Auto Drivers Association.
New fares for Chennai autorickshaws announced - The Hindu
