JOIN USSoon, prepaid taxis, autos only at New Delhi train station
If things go according to plan, passengers at the New Delhi railway station would no more be at the mercy of the taxi and autorickshaw drivers.
Railway authorities in association with the Delhi traffic police are planning to introduce a foolproof system in which all regular taxis and autorickshaws, excluding radio taxis, at the station will operate under the prepaid service run by the traffic police.
Currently, most regular taxi and auto drivers negotiate rates with the passengers, often overcharging them at will.
The railway authorities and traffic police are fine-tuning the nitty-gritty of the plan which requires some mechanical and infrastructural changes.
“An integrated system is being planned, under which all three-wheeler and taxi drivers will be given a token number at the station’s entry point.
At the same time, while issuing slips to the passengers at the prepaid counter, one token number will be alloted to the passenger,” traffic police source said.
Token system
“In order to inform the drivers which passenger has been alloted to them, the token numbers wil be displayed on an electronic board. It will be somewhat similar to the token systems functional in private banks,” the source added.
“It will also be convenient for the drivers as they would be able to get passengers in the order they enter the station,” the source said.
Railway officials said drivers not willing to pick passengers under the prepaid scheme would not be allowed to operate from the station premises.
“The drivers who won’t pick the passengers from the prepaid booth would have the option of not taking the token.
They would then have to drop the passengers in a dedicated bay and leave the premises. Tokens would be given only to those running vehicles under the service,” said a senior Northern Railway official.
If required, a public announcement system could also be put in place to make the system run smoothly, officials said.
Railway officials are planning a meeting with stakeholders, including traffic police and auto-taxi union leaders next week, during which they are likley to finalise the plan.
If successful, the initiative could be extended to other railway stations in the city, officials added.