“Is the meter working? Well, this should be the first question to be raised by passengers when they board an auto next time,” said P Vijayaraj, Joint Transport Commissioner. Addressing members of the Tamil Nadu Consumer Protection Council here on Sunday, he said it was the equal responsibility of the consumer in the successful implementation of the new auto fare and auto meter system in the State.
The government, actively engaged in issuing rate cards and fitness certificate (FC) to nearly 70,000 autos in the city, has been observing lack of awareness among public about the seriousness of the scheme. Implementation, according to him is not only the sole responsibility of the auto drivers and the government but also the public who are the end users. “For the past eight years, it is not only the auto drivers but also the passengers who have gotten used to meter-less autos. Now after the revision of fares, we find people who hesitate to travel in autos with meters fearing it might cost more. They tend to pay the rates they used to pay earlier. This has to change and the public should believe in this scheme by the government which is good to both drivers and public,” he said.
In his view, this scheme has been implemented after lot of research and groundwork, which is financially viable for both the people and the auto drivers who can earn about Rs 1,500 to Rs 2,000 per day. He also detailed the government’s effort to track the complaints of the public regarding the autos. “Next time when you board an auto and face any problem, just send a text message or make a call giving details of the auto you are travelling in to alert the police who will immediately reach you,” said Vijayaraj, who shared the complaint numbers to the members of TNCPC so that it could reach the wider public. Paul Barnabas, State vice president of TNCPC, also suggested rewarding auto drivers who have fixed their auto meters as a token of encouragement. Complaint numbers: 044- 26744445/24749001; 9003130103; 9566100000, 9500099100