KOCHI: In a big relief to autorickshaw drivers in the city, the transport department has withdrawn the rule making ‘no meter free ride’ sticker mandatory in the vehicles.
The rule that came into effect on March 1 was aimed at preventing fleecing of passengers. It had drawn widespread criticism from autorickshaw drivers.
The rule was withdrawn after the protesting autorickshaw drivers held talks with Transport Minister K B Ganesh Kumar on Monday.
“We informed the minister about the shortcomings of the existing meter system, including issues involved in calculating fares for additional distance covered during a trip and also the calculation of fares during return journey. Meters should be upgraded to multimeters to make such rules practical,” said an autorickshaw drivers union representative.
“The rule was revoked due to the complaints raised by auto drivers against enforcement of the rule. Though the order to affix stickers has been revoked, we still expect that the drivers would go by the primary rule - that is to charge only according to meter readings. Failure to do this, if reported, will invite legal action,” said Transport Commissioner Nagaraju Chakilam.