The new mechanical meters have been designed in a way that the auto driver benefits and not the commuter.
If you have lately travelled in an autorickshaw that has a mechanical meter, then did you end up paying an rupee extra for each hundred metres after two kilometres of travel? The new mechanical meters have been designed in a way that the auto driver benefits and not the commuter.
Although there was talk in the department of replacing all mechanical meters with digital ones, there has not been any change in the policy-making department. Even the transport and meterology department passed on the buck the state transport ministry.
When the auto fare hike was demanded by auto unions, they had clearly mentioned 50 paisa increase per hundred metres after the first two kilometres for which the fare should be Rs 17. But after the new fares came into effect, a new atrocity has befallen auto commuters now.
For every 100 metres beyond first 2 kilometres, they have to pay a rupee instead of 50 paisa. They thus end up paying up Rs3.50 extra instead of Rs23.50 for travelling 2.7km. No doubt, this is unjust and auto commuters who are usually cheated by the drivers are totally disheartened.
“I take autos mostly during the weekend and end up paying Rs20 extra if the driver agrees to come where I want to go. Is our money not hard-earned? I would rather wait for one such auto which has a digital meter and let go of 10 autos having mechanical meters,” said Anuprita Bhattacharya, a HR professional in a leading automobile company.
The Weights and Measurements Act has a small provision for permissible error that is mentioned in the General Rules 1987.
“The previous mechanical meter had two columns calculating rupees and two calculating paisa. Hence, after covering 10km the driver had to turn back to the basic fare and sometimes suffered losses with wrong calculations done during the process. Now, there are three columns to calculate rupees,” said M Gopalappa, assistant controller of the meterology department.
The meterology department has done what it was asked to and within the framework of the laws. But the transport department thought about the benefit to both the driver and commuter.
“The design was made keeping in mind benefit of the driver and commuter. Sometimes the driver will lose and sometimes the commuter. But in the long run, the commuter does not lose out much,” said sources in the transport department.
And when the simple question arises of completely replacing mechanical meters with digital ones, it needs a change in the policy and hence the transport department is looking to the minister think about this.
“I agree that mechanical meters should ideally be replaced by digital ones so that no one feels cheated. But the transport minister has to approve that,” said Bhaskar Rao, the transport commissioner.
“Digitisation should be made compulsory for autos and the RTO should penalise drivers for not having done so. Then there would be a balance. Till that, the commuter will be exorbitantly charged,” said Satavisa Biswas, a frequent auto commuter.
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