Sheena, a resident of Karamana, still remembers with trepidation the rainy evening when an autorickshaw driver from Thampanoor offloaded her on a dark road saying that he did not want to ply to her destination as the road was narrow and in poor condition and asked her to hire another vehicle.
As far as Sheena was concerned, she had been forced to board the first auto that she saw, to Karamana where she resides. Now, she feels relaxed with the opening of the new prepaid autorickshaw counter near the KSRTC bus stand at Thampanoor.
There are many commuters like Sheena, especially women, who see the new facility as a real boon. Being a place where commuters pass through in large numbers round the clock, they had to either walk to the only prepaid counter at the railway station or hire the auto they saw first and pay the amount the drivers demanded. Women passengers are of the opinion that the prepaid facility that has been started here amid several allegations should function full-fledged at any cost. However, it is the commuters who reach the city late after work from other places in buses who will benefit the most.
The new prepaid auto stand was started by the Traffic Police and City Corporation with the intention of preventing fleecing of passengers by auto drivers and also to ensure that they are dropped right at their destinations.
“The prepaid stand at Central Railway station is active at all times, but the sad thing is that we have to wait in a long queue. Secondly, if there is no one to man the counter, particularly Traffic policemen, then it doesn’t really matter whether you are standing in a prepaid counter queue or not - the drivers will charge what they wish and if you are in a hurry, they will make the most of your helplessness. I have experienced this innumerable times and I am now used to having fights with them every morning and evening,” said Samna Karim, a techie and a resident of Ooruttambalam.
However, many auto drivers have a different story to tell. According to Ashokan, “the vehicle I drive is owned by another person. I take the vehicle from his house early in the morning and return it by 8 pm. If I park in a prepaid auto stand and wait for passengers, then it gets too late to take the vehicle back and return home. At the counter, it also involves a long wait for our turn, and that is the reason why I prefer not to be in any prepaid stands.”
Raju, another driver, said the problem with most prepaid stands is that there are passengers only in the morning and evening. Business is bad the rest of the day. It is only when trains and buses arrive that you get passengers. “As far as the counter at Thampanoor bus stand is concerned, the rates fixed are the same as those at the prepaid auto counter at the railway station. However, there is a difference in distance, which causes a loss for us,” he said.
According to circle-inspector, Traffic South, Satheesh Kumar, the City Police have decided to convene a meeting with the auto drivers and their unions on Wednesday regarding the fare revision. A meeting will also be held with the Mayor. “The same software used at the Central Railway Station counter is installed here. As of now, we feel the fares are fair. A final decision in this regard will be taken after the meeting. The counter at the bus stand is functioning, but we have stopped issuing tokens. But, it will be resumed after the discussion,” he said.