High-rises, fancy wheels zooming over flyovers, smart parks—the temple city has undergone several developmental changes in the recent years. Efforts are on to turn Bhubaneswar into a smart city. Amidst all such happenings, the traditional auto rickshaws remain untouched by the changes around. They are still a common sight in the times of OLA and Uber. However, commuters are often fleeced by the drivers of the auto rickshaws. The reason for this everyday trouble is the absence of any standard rate chart for auto rickshaws. Every time they shock the commuters by charging an exorbitant fare, they conveniently shift the blame on fuel price hike.
The auto rickshaw services are of three types: prepaid, reserved and the passenger service. For the prepaid autos, there is a fixed rate chart. But, these autos are only available from the Railway Station to travel to some point places. “In 2016, we had a meeting with the DCP and officials of RTO, in which the fare for prepaid taxi was decided. Ever since then, there has been no more meeting in this regard. The rate chart for prepaid taxi remained fixed,” said Padman Kumar Samal, General Secretary of All Odisha Auto Chalaka Mahasang. According to this rate chart, the base price for first two kilometers of an auto ride was fixed at Rs 25 and the passenger would be charged Rs 10 for every subsequent kilometer.
But, this isn’t the case for passenger or reserved autos. “The fare charged by a particular stretch depends upon the driver. A few months back, I had to pay Rs 10 for travelling from Rasulgarh to Kalpana Square. Though some drivers charge the same, there are a few who take Rs 5 extra. If you ask them about the rate chart, they say that the rates have changed,” said Pragyan Paramita Routray of Govind Vihar. So, who decides the change of fare? “There is no provision of the State Government in this regard. The fares are decided by the auto association. We have received reports that there are drivers who charge according to their wish and don’t follow our guidelines,” added Samal.
According to the president of Bhubaneswar Auto Owners’ Trust, Debraj Parida, there has been an increase in the auto fare after the increase in fuel price recently. This hike in fare was decided by the auto associations. The rate for a ride up to four kilometres changed from RS 5 to 10. Beyond 4 kms, the rate increases by another Rs 5. However, commuters complained that most of the auto drivers had kept Rs 10 as a minimum fare. “Even if you have boarded an auto to travel a shorter distance, less than four kilometres, you still have to pay Rs 10,” said Binapani Panda of Bomikhal.
However, members of the auto unions claimed that they had approached the Transport Department for coming up with a rate chart. “We have urged the State Government to prepare a fixed rate chart for the passenger auto services. This should be followed by all drivers. Even during last month’s strike, we put forth the same demand before Principal Secretary of Transport. But, nothing has been done so far,” Samal said.
When it comes to the reserved autos, no one seems to have a control over the fare except for the driver. “The rate for reserved rides is settled between the passenger and the driver. We don’t regulate that,” Samal said.