In cahoots with cops, automen harm their ilk

They are now facing a downturn in business as passengers are increasingly opting for an alternative transport. Blame it on an unholy nexus between the traffic police and some drivers at prepaid auto stands where usually business is guaranteed.

Raju, an auto driver, told Deccan Herald that he was made to wait for more than an hour at the prepaid auto stand on M G Road. “I was waiting here for quite a while. But, a policeman allowed another driver who had befriended him to pick up a passenger,” he said.

The situation was no different in other prepaid auto stands in the City. A group of drivers connive with the traffic police and take long-distance passengers and others, while other drivers wait haplessly in the queue, he added.

Sridhar, another auto driver, said: “The number of passengers has come down by 30 per cent. I am forced to go to areas that are not on my way back home. It takes a toll on my health, not to mention the loss.”

Autorickshaw Drivers’ Union working president Srinivas Murthy said the union was aware of the “growing trend”. But the issue needs to be dealt with at an individual level by identifying the erring drivers and warning them to fall in line, he said.

Besides, the authorities also should make efforts to initiate action against the traffic police who collude with auto drivers.