Autorickshaws ignore pre-paid service in Telangana

Hyderabad: Unlike cities like Bengaluru, Chennai, Pune and New Delhi where pre-paid autorickshaws are a big hit only a very small part of the auto fleet is pre-paid in the twin cities.

The inability of the authorities to enforce the meter rule is to blame for this  as this enables auto-drivers to charge higher fares from passengers, keeping them uninterested in pre-paid booths.

Every day only 1,000 pre-paid autos are being hired by passengers at the Secunderabad railway station although at least 70,000 passengers land here. A common complaint registered by the traffic police is non-availability of autos.  

On Sunday, for example, only 1,055 pre-paid autos were hired at the Secunderabad railway station. The Secunderabad station handles 1.5 lakh passengers daily. “We have been getting complaints that when there are more than two trains arriving there are not enough autos at the pre-paid stands,” the police said.

“If an autorickshaw driver has to go for a pre-paid passenger he needs to stand in the queue and waste time and then he will get only Rs 7 more for the first 3 km as per pre-paid rates (compared to meter rates). Even during night the Rs 60 rate for the first three km is much less than what drivers get on the roads,” said A. Sathi Reddy from the auto union Samkhya.

The prepaid autorickshaw stands for the Kacheguda, Nampally and Begumpet railway stations are in an advanced stage of planning. A GO has been issued regarding this last month.