Auto drivers at stands near the Byappanahalli Metro station are ripping passengers off. They are cashing in on the helplessness of Metro commuters and those who arrive in the area from out of town.
People who regularly take autos from Lal Bahadur Shastrinagar (LBS) and Annasandrapalaya in HAL, say auto drivers regularly demand double the meter fare.
Mohammed Ishaq, a native of KGF, who frequently commutes on the route, says, “My in-laws live near Annasandrapalaya in HAL. I take a train once in a week to come to the city for business, and visit them. I have to get down at Byappanahalli station. The auto drivers charge `150 for just 5 km. The normal fare should be about `70. This is daylight robbery.”
Udaykumar Singh, a resident from Lal Bahadur Shastrinagar, says, “The auto drivers never go by the meter. They lay down many conditions before they let us get in.”
Singh visits his parents in UP frequently and when he get off at the K R Puram Metro station, the auto drivers start with `250 and settle for `200.
“This is for just 5 km. I have to take my wife to Manipal Hospital every week and the drivers refuse to go by meter. They charge `120. This again for 4 km,” Singh said.
Additional Commissioner for Traffic and Security B Dayananda said, “We have taken stern action against those violating the rules, including the erring auto drivers. We will write to the Transport Department recommending cancellation of the driving licences of such drivers.”
He said citizens could log on to the BTP website and write a complaint and action would be initiated against erring drivers.
“Some auto drivers demand excess fare and tarnish the name of good auto drivers,” General Secretary of the Autorickshaw Drivers’ Union (ARDU) Rudramurthy said.