Mumbai: Pay for auto, taxi rides based on tariff cards till June 1

A taxi driver waits for customers at Lower Parel. File pic

Till June 1 this year all autos-rickshaws and kali-peelis running in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR), which includes Mumbai, Navi Mumbai, Thane and nearby areas, will not have meters and passengers will be charged based on the new tariff cards, which they can download from the transport department's website. The deadline to recalibrate the meters as per the new rates has been extended to May 31. To ensure that there is no crowding at RTOs, a time schedule has been prepared based on the vehicles' number plates.

The minimum fare for auto-rickshaws will now be '21, while the same for the taxis will be '25. The fare for both modes of transport has been hiked by over '2. Trade unions had expressed fear that auto and taxi drivers would crowd at city RTOs to get the meters recalibrated. Transport officials, however, said that the arrangement based on the number plates would not let that happen.

A transport official said, "Vehicles whose registration number ends in 0 will have to get the meters recalibrated in the first seven days, followed by vehicles with numbers ending in 1, 2 and so forth. This process will end by May 9 and those left can get it done in the remaining days. In the MMR there are 4.6 lakh autos and 60,000 taxis. About 300 meter technicians have been deployed for the task."

The Mumbai Grahak Panchayat, a leading commuter rights organisation in the city, had written to the state government requesting it to postpone the auto/taxi fare hike by six months or do a basic minimum increase in fares. However, government officials said the hike had already been announced and notified.

21
Minimum fare for auto-rickshaws in MMR