Auto fare to go up in Mangalore from Sept 10

TNN

Mangalore, 29 August 2010: DK district Regional Transport Authority (RTA) on Saturday agreed to hike the auto rickshaw fare by Rs 2 in Mangalore city. The minimum fare for the first 1.5-km will henceforth by Rs 15 and the fare for every kilometre thereafter Rs 11. Hitherto, the fares were Rs 13 and Rs 9 respectively. The revised fares, chairman of RTA and deputy commissioner V Ponnuraj said would come into force from September 10.

 

Chairing a meeting of RTA convened explicitly to discuss demands by various auto rickshaw unions for hike in auto rickshaw fares, DC also announced a revised waiting charge system. There would be no waiting charge for the first 15 minutes. Passengers hiring auto rickshaws to areas that do not have auto rickshaw parks would have to pay 25 per cent of one-way auto fare for waiting period of maximum of up to 45 minutes.

 

Passengers hiring auto rickshaws for minimum distance would not get the luxury of waiting period, except for certain exceptional cases where they may have to pick up some thing enroute. Ponnuraj clarified that the secretary, RTA would issue rate conversion cards to auto rickshaw drivers based on which they would collect fares from commuters up to September 30 and would have to charge as per the auto fare meter from October 1.

 

 

The unions unanimously hailed the decision of the DC for they got what they had asked for. Barring one union, which had asked for minimum fare of Rs 16 and Rs 12 per km thereafter, other unions, had sought minimum fare of Rs 15 and Rs 11 per km thereafter. When few union leaders pointed that the time up to September 30 was not adequate to calibrate the meter given that there are around 6,000 auto rickshaws in the city and not enough qualified technicians to do the job, DC advised them to start the process.

 

CANCEL PERMITS

 

In another move, the DC directed the secretary, RTA and in-charge regional transport officer Seva Naik to initiate the process of identifying ’benami’ permits, if any, held by government employees. Taking cognisance of a complaint by Hanumanth Kamath of Nagarika Hitharakshana Vedike, DC advised the auto rickshaw unions to help the RTA identify such employees who are holding auto rickshaw permits illegally.

 

DC also accepted a suggestion that the details of permit issued to each auto rickshaw should be displayed prominently inside each vehicle replicating a system that is being followed in Bangalore. He instructed the auto rickshaw unions to get in touch with the RTO, fix an agency and take steps to display the same without any further delay. He assured to settle the issue of notifying authorised auto rickshaw parks shortly.