JOIN USPost-AAP win, autowallahs continue to rob passengers
Returning from a trip to Jaipur early this year, Reema Chander got off the bus with her old mother at Dhaula Kuan and turned around to look for an autorickshaw.
Around two dozen autorickshaws were lined up and a few drivers approached her. While the fare to her home is normally around Rs 75, the first offer to her was Rs 250.
Reema refused and the bids began to fall. But not one driver agreed to charge less than Rs 200. Like many other passengers, Reema tried playing mind games, pretending she was unaffected by their attitude and hoping that eventually someone would give in.
“It did not work. The auto drivers stood united and even ensured no passing auto driver would give me a ride. I gave up after 15 minutes and took a ride home for Rs 200,” says Reema, a homemaker.
Reema’s is not a one-off case at Dhaula Kuan. Several commuters allege the auto drivers display great greed and little fear for the law. A pre-paid auto booth exists at the spot, but there are few takers. “The auto drivers ensure you do not reach the booth. They will tell you that no drivers are willing to be a part of the prepaid service,” says Ashish Rasaili who is a frequent auto hunter there.
In fact, many commuters Deccan Herald spoke to were not even aware of the presence of the pre-paid booths at several spots.
There are about two dozen pre-paid auto booths in the city, but passengers mostly use only those which are available at railway stations, bus terminals and the airport. Pre-paid booths near Akshardham Temple, Lajpat Nagar Market and South Extension Market get very takers.
Passengers say many auto drivers began travelling by meter when the fare was increased in 2013. But that was mostly limited to auto drivers passing by or those in areas with less demand. You are lucky if you can find an auto driver at bus terminals and railway stations who agrees to travel by meter.
Commuters say they expected a change in auto drivers’ attitude with the arrival of the Arvind Kejriwal government, which has shown a pro-autorickshaw driver approach. That has had little impact, however.
“We don’t enjoy overcharging, but are forced to. Overcharging only makes our work more miserable. So, the new government’s arrival will not make any real difference until they work to solve our financial woes,” says Ranjeet Singh, an auto driver.
The financial problems arise from high daily rental of the autos, corruption by traffic police and transport department, huge parking charges outside railway stations and bus terminals, and the financing mafia with which they have to deal with while buying a new three-wheeler.
“Traffic police confiscate our vehicles even on false pretext. After that it costs us anywhere between Rs 5,000 and 15,000 to get our autos released from court. The auto drivers pass on that loss to the passengers,” says Shyambir Singh, an auto driver who claims to go by the meter at all times.
But passengers say that auto drivers never passed on any benefits to the public. “Did we see auto drivers travelling by meter during AAP’s 49-day rule? Auto drivers did not have to pay bribes, but we passengers did not benefit from it,” says Nabeela Khan, a resident of Jamia Nagar.
Little difference in auto drivers’ attitude was seen even when new permits were out about three years ago. New permits meant the price of an autorickshaw came down from about Rs 5-6 lakh to Rs 2 lakh because fewer drivers then had to rely on private financers – who charged heavily – to provide them new three-wheelers.
For a while in between, there were allegations that traffic police personnel were posing as decoy customers to trick the auto drivers into refusing a ride or not travelling by meter and then imposing heavy penalties on them. As a result, some autos in the city now travel with an “off duty” board atop their vehicles when they do not want to offer a ride.
Though auto drivers claim that some drivers shut shop because of the practice, it did not really scare them for long. What has kept at least some auto drivers in check are police helpline numbers. But drivers know that few passengers use them to complain against overcharging or refusal.
“Most of them understand that we will prefer to pay extra rather than go through the process of complaining,” says Ankur Rattan, an employee with a telecom company.
Desperate measures
Ankur, however, manages to scare most auto drivers into taking him by meter. He first captures the photograph of the driver and the auto number plate and then records the conversation while before asking for a ride.
He is aware of traffic police’s WhatsApp helpline number 8750871493 on which videos of errant auto drivers can be sent as complaint.
Ankur succeeds most often in scaring the drivers because most of them are ignorant that this WhatsApp helpline requires videos. Mere photographs and audio clips will not suffice in prosecuting the offenders.
And yet there are some who are not scared as they ride away despite the threats. Some others have found a solution.
“At places where there are several autos, the drivers approach you in a group. So you do not know which auto belongs to whom even if you want to take a photograph of their number plates,” says Shruti. If they suspect that you might complain, no one will offer you a ride at all, she adds.
Auto drivers who travel by meter say they feel offended by the vilification of all those in this profession.
“It is assumed that all the greedy people in Delhi take to auto driving. They do not realise that there could be something in this profession that forces us to appear greedy,” says Vipin Sharma, an auto driver who offered this reporter a ride by meter without any fuss.