CHENNAI: The state government has fixed the minimum fare for autorickshaws at Rs 50 for the first 1.8 km and Rs 25 for every subsequent kilometre, revising rates that had remained unchanged since August 2013. For ghat areas the base fare is Rs 60 and Rs 30 for every additional km.
According to a government notification issued by the Home (transport) department on Tuesday, the waiting charge has been fixed at Rs 1 per minute, while night fares between 10 pm and 5 am will be 1.5 times the regular fare.
The revision comes after sustained demands from auto drivers’ unions, which had sought a minimum fare of Rs 60 for the first 1.5 km and Rs 30 for every additional kilometre, citing rising fuel prices, insurance premiums, maintenance costs and competition from app-based aggregators and bike taxis.
Consumer organisations, meanwhile, had proposed a minimum fare of Rs 50 for the first 1.8 km or 2 km, with charges for subsequent kilometres.
A few days ago, transport minister A Vijay Tamilan Parthiban assured auto drivers that the fare will be revised before Deepavali. The previous government-approved fare, fixed in 2013, was Rs 25 for the first 1.8 km and Rs 12 for every additional km.