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Each of the issues listed below can be almost immediately
addressed, provided we have a government which works in an
accountable, responsible and transparent manner. |
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The government has no fare policy |
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In response to our application under the RTI Act, the government
has confirmed that it has no policy, frequency or formula for
fare fixation or revision. One would be hard put to recall a
fare hike in decades that has happened without flexing of
muscles by the transport unions. And then the citizens, out of
their ignorance of the complex dynamics and because they are
directly affected by strikes, blame autorickshaw drivers, taxis
and bus operators. |
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Fare in Delhi is the lowest of all major cities |
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Per kilo metre fare in Mumbai is Rs.5. It is Rs.6 in Pune, Bangalore
and Chennai, and Rs.5.60 in Hyderabad. In all of these cities, auto
drivers have a clean image. Our quick
study demonstrates that where the fare is Rs.5 per km or more,
the passengers have no complaints against auto drivers. On the
other hand, where it falls below this threshold, the auto
drivers are forced to indulge in one trick or the other to get
their fair share from the passenger anyway. So finally, the issue boils down to
political will and politicians' honesty - will they give auto
drivers their due, or will the drivers take it themselves by
hook or by crook! |
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Pay 600% to touts to get a driving licence. Ditto for a badge |
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Rules and procedures are fairly simple for the issue of licences
and badges. However, the officers sitting at the counters have
been specially trained to misbehave with auto drivers and turn
them away on one pretext or the other. Transport Zonal Offices
are always teeming with touts and middlemen who act as conduits
for the officers inside. Totally unnecessary documents are
demanded of auto drivers. Even Sikh drivers have been accused of
being Bangadeshis and asked to produce proof of their
nationality. |
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Autorickshaw costs Rs.3,90,000 in Delhi. In other cities, it is
only Rs.1,25,000 |
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Yes, that is a fact. Do not be shocked. The government has known
it for ages, but has done absolutely nothing about it. Instead,
the politicians have done exactly the opposite in order to bag
both money and votes. Official on-road price of an autorickshaw,
like all other cities, is approximately Rs.1,25,000, but since
the Supreme Court has put a ban on the issue of new permits in
Delhi, there is a shortage on the supply side, while the demand
continues to go up everyday. The Supreme Court had held in
December 1997 and November 2004 that the monopoly vehicle
manufactured by Bajaj Auto is not environment-friendly, and had
ordered the government to help develop battery-operated autos.
Not a word has come from the government. |
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No organized funding is available to the autorickshaw sector |
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Did you know that autorickshaw drivers pay as much as 50-60%
interest on their borrowings, compared with just about 12% for
us car-owners? No bank or financial institution advances funding
to this sector, leaving the ground vast open to loan sharks.
Delhi Financial Corporation does offer loan on a small amount in
a few cases but the terms are well nigh impossible to meet for
almost the entire autorickshaw drivers' community. |
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Maintenance cost of a CNG auto is outrageous |
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Maintenance cost of a petrol driven autorickshaw is under
Rs.500, whereas it is Rs.4,000 for a CNG powered autorickshaw.
Poor and outdated technology used by Bajaj Auto is responsible
for this. Bajaj Auto had admitted as much before the Supreme
Court in November 2004, and had given an undertaking to make
improvements within 2 months. However, nothing was done. With
the result that the daily rental of an autorickshaw stands at a
horrendous Rs.300. |
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Corruption at Zonal Office of the Transport Department at Burari |
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Every autorickshaw and taxi has to visit Burari at least once every year in order to get a new
certificate of fitness. This office is a den of corruption and
is ruled by touts. Corrupt practices here add quite a lot to the
transaction cost of an autorickshaw driver. |
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Absence of auto stands |
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Total number of auto stands in a small metro like Pune is close
to 1000 whereas the number of stands in Delhi is just 312.
What's more, only a few dozen of them are marked. Nobody knows
about the existence of the rest which exist only on paper. As a
result, autorickshaws are frequently prosecuted for parking in a
no-parking area whereas in fact, they are properly parked at an
authorized auto stand. |
