KOCHI: “It’s unbelievable how much autorickshaw drivers in Kochi swindle people. Many of these autos don’t even have meters. Those which do have meters never go by the rate shown in them. Many others have meters just for the sake of having them. It’s really impossible to find a single autorickshaw driver who charges by the meter.
Today (August 12), I took an autorickshaw from Ravipuram to Palarivattom Junction. At the end of my journey the meter showed Rs 73. However, the rickshaw driver charged me Rs 150. When I questioned him and pointed out that the meter showed only Rs 73, he said that the rate includes the return charge. So at around 5 pm in the evening I ended up paying double the meter charge.There is an arrogance in the way they talk and comport themselves. It is as if they know nothing will happen to them. I used to think Navi Mumbai autorickshaw drivers were swindlers, but Kochi takes the cherry.”
(This is an excerpt from a complaint lodged before the City Traffic Police by a person who came to Kochi from Mumbai the other day.)
Such complaints have been mounting up before the traffic police. Commuters allege that though the drivers rip-off passengers by charging exorbitant fares the authorities are still looking the other way.
People point out that the only autos that charge according to the meter are the ones operating from Ernakulam South and North Railway Stations’ pre-paid counters.
Satheesh Kumar, an ex-serviceman from Alappuzha shared his experience. “When I came from Ernakulam Junction Railway Station to the Naval Base I was charged Rs 52 as per the ticket issued at the prepaid counter. But when I returned from the Naval Base to the Railway Station the auto driver charged me Rs 80. This was because there was no prepaid counter here,” he said.
He urged authorities to set up pre-paid autorickshaw counters at prime locations including Naval Base in the city to put a stop to this fleecing by the autorickshaw drivers. Besides fleecing, passengers point out that many of the autorickshaw drivers resort to abusive and foul language when they argue with them.
Police taking action
Refuting allegations that the police is not doing anything about putting an end to this menace, DCP Arul R B Krishna, who is handling the city traffic affairs, said the police have been carrying out checks to pick up the autorickshaw drivers who charge exorbitant fares. “We had conducted a drive earlier and have been carrying out checks to end this practice. Presently, as an initial step we are seizing the vehicle and then releasing it after 24 hours. If we receive more complaints from the public, we will initiate stringent measures,” he added.
Meanwhile, few trade unions came up against the police action alleging that the cops are intentionally trying to disrupt their livelihood by seizing their vehicles. Police officers said that they will continue carrying out checks at various points in the city in order to prevent the entry of autos that don’t have city permits and to ensure that the meters are in working condition.
Commuters not satisfied
But the commuters are not a satisfied lot. They allege that the police action has not been effective enough. “When the autorickshaw drivers sniff the presence of police squads they are very decent and take care to charge the fare shown in the meter. However, once the cops make an exit they go back to fleecing the passengers and that too with a vengeance,” said Biju Vargheese, a commuter. Many drivers love to take the passengers for a ride. Instead of taking the shortest route, they take the parallel roads and at the end of the journey slap heavy amount as fare.
Prepaid services
The proposal to introduce prepaid services at certain parts of the city still remains in the cold storage. It had been planned to introduce prepaid services at Edappally, Vennala, Kadavanthra, Palarivattom, Vyttila and Poonithura areas after it was noticed that the auto drivers are charging huge amount as fares.
The co-ordination committee of trade unions had decided to introduce the system after receiving complaints from the passengers that the drivers don’t switch on the meters and charge them exorbitantly. The services would have been similar to the ones operating at the two Railway Stations in the city.