Soon, minimum auto fare may go up to Rs 30

BENGALURU: Autorickshaw rides in the city may soon get costlier. The Road Transport Authority (RTA) is considering revising the fares following representations from auto drivers.


At present, the minimum auto fare for the first 1.9 km is Rs 25 and for every additional km, it’s Rs 13. Representatives of various auto drivers’ unions recently asked RTA to increase the minimum fare to Rs 30 and Rs 15 for every subsequent km.




Auto fares haven’t been revised since 2013 and drivers say LPG rates, daily expenses, maintenance cost and other expenses have gone up over the years. “The fare revision is inevitable,” said C Sampath, general secretary, Adarsh Autorickshaw Taxi Drivers’ Union (AATDU), adding that they have given a representation to RTA to revise the fares. “There’s been a drastic increase in the prices of LPG and spare parts but there has been no hike since 2013,” he added. Shobha M, deputy commissioner for transport, said they have received representations from auto drivers’ unions. “We are studying them. We have not finalized the fares yet; RTA will take a decision.”

Transport department sources said they will soon form a committee to revise fares after taking into consideration factors like inflation, rise in the LPG price and maintenance cost. Auto drivers had not been pushing for the fare hike in the recent past fearing it may help app-based operators and shift passengers to cabs. With app-based taxis also becoming expensive after the transport department fixed minimum and maximum rates in four categories (between Rs11-Rs20 per km and Rs22-Rs45 per km), auto drivers now feel the tariff should be revised.

However, many commuters complain that auto drivers rarely follow fares fixed by the government. “They are increasingly reluctant to ply by government-fixed fare since there’s no enforcement. Most drivers demand a minimum fare of Rs 50 or an additional Rs 20. The figures is doubled or tripled during night,” said Sabita S, a regular passenger in Koramangala.

Drivers divided over new permits

Auto drivers are divided over the transport department’s move to issue more permits. While Centre of Indian Trade Unions-backed Autorickshaw Drivers Union (ARDU) is of the view that no new auto permits must be issued, AATDU has welcomed the department’s move. ARDU has planned a one-day strike against the decision on January 8.

BV Raghavendra of ARDU said the move to add more autos will increase congestion and deepen crisis in the sector. However, C Sampath, general secretary, AATDU, said there’s a need to issue fresh permits since BBMP limits have expanded. “In fact, many are selling permits in the black market for about Rs 45,000 but one will get a new one from the department for Rs 500.”

At present, auto permits in the city are capped at 1.25 lakh but about 50,000 illegal autos are plying without them. The government had decided to issue permits for 25,000 autos fitted with LPG and CNG kits, and 5,000 erickshaws in five years. In the first phase, the department will issue 10,000 permits.