CHENNAI: The base price to hire an autorickshaw should be Rs 40 instead of Rs 25, and after the first 1.8 km, travellers must pay Rs 18 not Rs 12 per km, a panel formed to revise fares after nearly a decade in Tamil Nadu has suggested. The proposed fare structure is subject to revision by the government.
The State transport department had constituted the panel following a Madras HC order in April. After holding multiple meetings with representatives of autorickshaw drivers in May, the panel recently sent the revised fare structure to the government for approval.
Though autorickshaws affiliated to cab aggregators Ola and Uber in TN started collecting a minimum fare of Rs 30-Rs 40 from the first week of April, the fares are yet to be revised for others.
The last time the State government fixed the fares was on August 25, 2013, when the minimum fare was fixed at Rs 25, rate per km after that at Rs 12, and waiting charge at Rs 3.5 for every five minutes. It mandated that a 50% extra fare may be collected for trips between 11 pm and 5 am.
‘Introduce mobile app’
Reacting to the panel’s suggestions, a representative of the autorickshaw union affiliated to CITU said, “We wanted the minimum fare to be fixed at Rs 50 for 1.8 km. However, officials told us that it will be fixed at Rs 40.
We wanted parameters such as demand for autos, fuel prices, and inflation to be considered for a dynamic pricing system.” He added the government should come up with a mobile app to update the fares, as per the HC order. Sources said the auto drivers’ demand to increase the fare during festivals and weekends has been rejected by the government.
A transport official said, “As per the Court order, we are planning to introduce a GPS-enabled fare calculation system for autorickshaws. However, no decision was taken on introducing a mobile app for autos which are not affiliated to OLA and UBER.”
A mobile app for updating the revised fares for autorickshaws can be launched only by introducing a licensing system for cab aggregators like OLA, UBER, and Rapido. Though the Union government, in October 2019, amended the Central Motor Vehicle Act enabling State governments to issue licences for cab aggregators, the State is yet to implement it. “The modalities for implementing the Court order are being looked into,” added the official.
Demand for mobile app to fix fare
The State government is yet to launch a mobile application, as per the HC order, to update the fares even as auto drivers continue to demand it. The app can only be launched by introducing a licensing system for cab aggregators, which the State government is yet to implement