The change in lifestyle has seen a huge shift in the demand patterns of the customers. Today, instead of buying their own automobiles, people have started relying more on cab aggregators, like Ola and Uber. There are of course several reasons attributing to such tectonic shifts.
The sale of automobiles is not the just only sector that is going through a downfall. It turns out that autowalas and similar riders are going through a reduction in the number of rides, as more and more people are flocking towards cab aggregators that have gigantically crushed their business.
Autowalas in Bangalaore Don’t Want a Fare Hike
Autorickshaw fares haven’t been revised since 2013, even though there was an increase in LPG prices and maintenance costs over the years. Some auto unions in Bangalore had previously protested for an increase in minimum fare hike from Rs 25 to Rs 30 but now most auto driver associations have decided to not go for hike in auto prices.
At present, the minimum fare for the first 1.9km is Rs 25 and Rs 13 for every additional km. In a recent survey conducted among 200 auto drivers on fare revision, it was observed that about 80% auto drivers opposed to any sort of fare revisions.
They fear that if traffic police and the transport department step ups up any enforcement of fare hikes, many passengers may further shift to app-based cabs and Metro.
Like we said, with more and more people fleeing towards cab aggregators, these autowalas have been hit in business. With fewer enforcement drives, they are now merrily fleecing passengers by charging them more than the government fixed fares. They say that their business has already been hit by Ola and Uber and it will further go down in case of any fare revisions.
BV Raghavendra of Auto Rickshaw Drivers Union said auto LPG costs Rs 46-47 per litre and a fare hike is inevitable once it crosses Rs 50. However, most drivers don’t want a fare hike due to Ola and Uber. Earlier, some auto unions used to protest seeking fare increase. A revision is due but now there is no major demand from unions.
What Most Passengers in Bangalore Feel About Autowalas?
Most regular passengers say auto drivers rarely use meters and demand extra. While the minimum fare for 1.9km is Rs 25, a regular commuter states that she has never traveled for Rs 25 for less than 2km. The unofficial minimum fare that these autowalas charge is between Rs 30 and Rs 50.
She says that they demand more after 8 pm. This is one of the major reasons why she prefers app-based cabs and autorickshaws, over the general ones. Auto drivers near metro stations, bus terminals and on the city outskirts are worse. The unofficial minimum charge here sometimes climb up to Rs 100.
Bengaluru traffic police records show cases booked against auto drivers are going up. The number of cases for refusal to go to a particular destination increased from 19,117 in 2017, to 21,493 in 2018.
There is also a rise in the
number of cases where they demand for excess fare. This number has increased
from 14,182 in 2017 to 18,235 in 2018.
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