<p>Bengaluru: Over the long festive weekend, commuters in the city complained of inflated auto fares on and off ride aggregator platforms.</p>.<p>A commuter travelling from Hennur to RR Nagar on Sunday evening noticed nearly double the fares on ride aggregator platforms.</p>.<p>“The ride usually costs Rs 350 to Rs 400,” Shreya, an RR Nagar resident, said. “But on Sunday, all aggregator platforms were displaying fares of about Rs 650 and above. Rapido was the highest at Rs 687. I ended up taking a bike taxi for Rs 255, which was Rs 55 more than the usual.”</p>.<p>Another commuter travelling from MG Road to Indiranagar on Saturday afternoon reported higher than normal fares on Uber and Rapido, excluding tips.</p>.<p>On Monday morning, an auto ride from RT Nagar to MG Road was priced at Rs 188 to Rs 205 on Rapido, Rs 185 on Uber, and Rs 160 on Ola, compared to the regular fare of Rs 150.</p>.<p>“Noticing the higher fares on aggregator platforms, I took an auto from Malleswaram to Vasant Nagar on Saturday. The drivers asked for Rs 200 to Rs 250, while it costs less than Rs 100. They blamed it on the higher fuel costs,” said Sushmita Shankar, an undergraduate student.</p>.<p>Multiple commuters reported similar experiences while attempting to hail an auto over the past week.</p>.<p>“As gas prices increase, it is obvious that autos which run on LPG will ask for a higher fare,” said general secretary of Auto Rickshaw Drivers Union (ARDU) D Rudramurthy, adding that some CNG auto drivers might even be using this excuse to charge more.</p>.<p>Responding to DH’s queries, a Rapido spokesperson attributed the volatile fares to shortage of drivers during the weekend.</p>.<p>“Over the last few days, we observed temporary, automated fare variations in select areas, driven by a short-term dip in captain availability during the festive season of Ugadi and Eid,” the spokesperson said.</p>.<p>The fare hike was purely situational, designed to ensure continued services, the spokesperson added, insisting that it did not indicate any permanent pricing changes.</p>.<p>“As the captains’ availability improves, and operations normalise, fares stabilised to their regular levels,” the Rapido spokesperson said.</p>.<p>Uber did not respond to our queries.</p>
<p>Bengaluru: Over the long festive weekend, commuters in the city complained of inflated auto fares on and off ride aggregator platforms.</p>.<p>A commuter travelling from Hennur to RR Nagar on Sunday evening noticed nearly double the fares on ride aggregator platforms.</p>.<p>“The ride usually costs Rs 350 to Rs 400,” Shreya, an RR Nagar resident, said. “But on Sunday, all aggregator platforms were displaying fares of about Rs 650 and above. Rapido was the highest at Rs 687. I ended up taking a bike taxi for Rs 255, which was Rs 55 more than the usual.”</p>.<p>Another commuter travelling from MG Road to Indiranagar on Saturday afternoon reported higher than normal fares on Uber and Rapido, excluding tips.</p>.<p>On Monday morning, an auto ride from RT Nagar to MG Road was priced at Rs 188 to Rs 205 on Rapido, Rs 185 on Uber, and Rs 160 on Ola, compared to the regular fare of Rs 150.</p>.<p>“Noticing the higher fares on aggregator platforms, I took an auto from Malleswaram to Vasant Nagar on Saturday. The drivers asked for Rs 200 to Rs 250, while it costs less than Rs 100. They blamed it on the higher fuel costs,” said Sushmita Shankar, an undergraduate student.</p>.<p>Multiple commuters reported similar experiences while attempting to hail an auto over the past week.</p>.<p>“As gas prices increase, it is obvious that autos which run on LPG will ask for a higher fare,” said general secretary of Auto Rickshaw Drivers Union (ARDU) D Rudramurthy, adding that some CNG auto drivers might even be using this excuse to charge more.</p>.<p>Responding to DH’s queries, a Rapido spokesperson attributed the volatile fares to shortage of drivers during the weekend.</p>.<p>“Over the last few days, we observed temporary, automated fare variations in select areas, driven by a short-term dip in captain availability during the festive season of Ugadi and Eid,” the spokesperson said.</p>.<p>The fare hike was purely situational, designed to ensure continued services, the spokesperson added, insisting that it did not indicate any permanent pricing changes.</p>.<p>“As the captains’ availability improves, and operations normalise, fares stabilised to their regular levels,” the Rapido spokesperson said.</p>.<p>Uber did not respond to our queries.</p>