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The City Traffic Police went on a drive to book cases against erring auto drivers

The Bangalore Traffic Police seems to have finally woken up and taken note of the umpteen complaints pouring in from commuters about autorickshaw drivers. The untimely hike in fares was justified saying that autorickshaw drivers too had a right to decent living and the fares had to be hiked to match the soaring cost of living. But autowallahs continue to demand excess fares, refuse to come for hire and their rash behaviour has gone to another level altogether.

The Bangalore Traffic Police went on a two-month drive to crack down on erring auto drivers and booked cases against autos for almost all the offences and came up with some interesting statistics. But will these drives be made a regular affair or is it just another effort by the police to be noticed?

The raise in minimum auto fares has drawn flak from a cross-section of Bangaloreans. They are unhappy and term the fare increase as “unnecessary and unreasonable”. The Regional Transport Authority (RTA) has given autorickshaw drivers three months time for the auto meters to be calibrated to the new fare but with this, will they stop demanding excess fares? That is still to be seen.  

Metrolife spoke to the traffic police, RTA officials and asked them if they would take it upon themselves to make sure the commuters have a hassle-free ride. We also asked people in general if these awareness drives by the traffic police would really make a difference. M A Saleem, additional commissioner of police (traffic and safety), says that the traffic police has taken it upon itself to instill a sense of discipline among the auto drivers. And Saleem sees nothing wrong in the fare hike. “The cost of living is soaring. So in this context, the fare is justified. On our part, we have been strictly enforcing the existing rules and the last two-month drive has had some interesting results,” informs Saleem.

The cases booked against autorickshaw drivers in January and February 2012 are 61,862 of which, 14,954 were caught for wrong parking, 7,244 for signal jumping, 5,512 for violating the one-way rule, 4,999 for refusal to go for hire and 2,396 for demanding excess fare. Cases against autorickshaw drivers have not reduced over the years — 2011 saw 4,41,792, there was a slight difference in 2010 with 3,72,817. The year 2009 saw 1,88,942. There has been a steady rise in the number of cases every year. “With more autos hitting the road, the cases of violations will rise. The cancellation of licences and proposed hike in fines should instill some fear in regular offenders. We will do our bit to clamp down on them,” adds Saleem.

A senior official with the RTA says, “The fares have been hiked hoping that the auto drivers won’t demand excess fares. If the unreasonable demand continues, we will have to think of some stricter action.” 

Now that the new fares have been implemented by the government, commuters request that the auto drivers be made more accountable. They hope the police will hold these drivers on a regular basis, monitor meters and make sure they aren’t tampered with and that drivers don’t demand excess fares. Prasanna Dube, an IT professional who takes the auto regularly, has always had bad experiences but to improve the situation, he feels, “Digital meters can help regulate the fares to some extent. Some drivers take passengers according to their convenience . This must stop.” Tinu N Joy, a process analyst with Nimbus, too feels it’s high time the traffic police takes extra steps to make auto rides hassle-free. “Despite the hike in fares, auto drivers refuse to come for hire and demand excess fare. This can’t be justified,” he sums up.