BENGALURU: With the Karnataka High Court granting 15 days’ time to the state government to fix the tariff rate as per the Motor Vehicles Aggregator Guidelines 2020, Bengalureans batted for aggregator autorickshaws, blaming poor intermodal transport system of the city, compelling them to opt for private modes of transport.
Sandeep Anirudhan, convenor, Bengaluru Agenda for Mobility, said that the city suffers from poor mobility as it lacks unified transport system. Mass transit system and last mile connectivity seems to be absent in many parts of the city which is not the case in other Metro cities like Mumbai and Delhi. He said that Bengalureans prefer aggregator autorickshaws because it is more convenient and easy to book than local modes of transport.
Echoing Anirudhan, Sriparna Roy, a professional in the city, said, “The local autorickshaws do not cooperate, and often charge higher than the amount shown for the aggregator autorickshaws. It is convenient, especially, during the night, as one does not have to go finding an autorickshaw.”
Another daily commuter said that sometimes it becomes a humongous task to find an autorickshaw as often, they do not run on metre, and end up charging higher prices or same as the aggregator autorickshaws. It is more convenient to book an autorickshaw than haggling with the drivers, the commuter added.
UBER WELCOMES HC ORDER
Taxi aggregators have welcomed the Karnataka HC order on Friday that the aggergator autorickshaws can collect 10% additional charge over and above the fare fixed by the state government, and applicable GST. An Uber spokesperson said that the ‘e-hailing’ of autorickshaws is more preferred in Bengaluru, due to safety, and it also avoids situations of haggling, which happens for local autorickshaws. “We welcome today’s court order, which recognises that auto drivers have the right to operate using aggregator platforms,” they said.