Mumbai: Traffic cops are of no help at Bandra?

The scene outside Bandra East station is chaotic during morning and evening peak hours as auto-rickshaw drivers charge higher fares and often engage in arrogant arguments with commuters, the presence of traffic cops notwithstanding. Pic/ Bipin Kokate

Auto drivers and their tantrums are a legendary Mumbai commuter problem, leaving citizens helpless and angry. Two months after the state transport department put share-auto stand locations along with their fixed rates on their official website, mid-day reporters decided to find out just how successful the move was. Not surprisingly, we found a large number of illegal auto stands dotting the city where the drivers decided the fares.

The team documented illegalities of every kind involving auto-rickshaws - from refusing rides to exorbitant, arbitrary rates. Problems persist at multiple levels and the lack of viable public transport on the feeder routes is a major one. Auto unions questioned about the issue admitted that the illegal auto rackets were flourishing and jugaad autos operated with impunity.

Mumbai Automen's union leader Shashank Rao told mid-day, "We are aware of the issue of illegal autos and have been continuously warning the authorities about them. When we complained around 2012, there were about 20,000 such autos and now the number must have gone up to 30,000. We have been requesting authorities to curb them. Give us a dedicated squad and we will have one of our representatives to identify such vehicles and areas."

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Transport department officials said a huge number of auto stands have been mandated by the Regional Transport Authority with a fixed fare structure. Many others have come up due to people's demands, with local politicians and political parties patronising them. "These are illegal stands, but they are opened on local demand. In such cases, we try and legalise them. However, at many other places, the rates are quite absurd and we act on complaints, but there is a genuine issue of enforcement due to lack of staff," a senior transport official said.

We kicked-off our test drive from Bandra East.

Bandra-Kurla Complex is a planned business district, located in Bandra East. It is the most prominent commercial hub in the state after Nariman Point and Cuffe Parade. On a regular basis, hundreds of commuters travel across the stretch but, finding an auto at the end of a tiring day is nothing short of a nightmare. At mid-day's test drive near the Bandra East station auto stand, most auto drivers were found charging customers extra in violation of RTO rules.

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When a mid-day reporter posing as a customer asked auto drivers to ply her to Bandra East (Government Colony, BKC and Family Court) in a share-auto, they not only charged her extra but also misbehaved when she argued about the high rates. As per the RTO rates, the fare for each passenger going to Family Court in a sharing system is Rs 11. The auto drivers, however, asked for Rs 20 for each seat, thus making R60 on one trip. For Government Colony, the official rate is Rs 17 yet they still ask for Rs 20. The harassment continues in the presence of traffic police officers standing right at the spot.

Drivers often engage in arguments with commuters who question their fares; many have to wait it out in the heat to find an auto-rickshaw driver who plies by the RTO fare guide

Varying rates

The rates vary depending on the time of the day, too. In the morning, the auto drivers charge Rs 20 to go towards BKC whereas the rates drop to Rs 10 in the afternoon. Similarly, auto drivers in BKC and surrounding areas charge Rs 10 in the morning to go to Bandra station and go up to Rs 20 in the evening when officer-goers return home. If you try to argue, "go to office in the evening" is their response.

During peak hours auto drivers outside Bandra East station refuse to go by the rule book

Due to the crowd for shared autos, the autos end up blocking the way for buses and other private cars. During peak hours, the scene outside Bandra station is too chaotic to even walk through. The auto union at Bandra East is strong enough for the auto driver to unapologetically abuse or threaten passengers who argue with them.

Transport expert Jitendra Gupta said, "The department concerned needs to post ratings at each auto stand so that people are aware of the conditions. It is illegal to ask additional money in share autos. This is in violation of RTO rules. Also, when passengers complain to traffic police at the spot, they hardly provide any help."

VOICES

Suresh Kumar, 34

'I have been working here for the past five years. Earlier, I used to take autos for R20 per seat but then I realised how they were fooling us. So, it is better to wait in the heat for the bus rather than pay extra to these thieves. On several occasions, I have complained to the traffic police present at the spot but not one of them has made any effort to stop the nuisance'

Shubham Sharma, 27

'I always face harassment whenever I try to take a shared auto from Bandra. Apart from charging extra, they also misbehave with passengers when they argue. In fact, during monsoon, they charge Rs 30 a seat. We also work hard to earn money just like them. The RTO really needs to take steps to stop the harassment'

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RTO rates from Bandra East for share-autos

Rs 21
New English School

Rs 17
Government Colony

Rs 12
GN Colony

Rs 15
Dnyaneshwar Bazaar

Rs 22
ICICI Bank Building

30k
Approximate no. of illegal autos across the city

20k
Approximate no. of illegal autos in the city in 2012

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