General secretary of Mumbai Rickshaw Men's Union, Thampi Kurian said that a rickshaw driver is expected to make 86 paise more every kilometre, after the hike comes in. "Our numbers show that taking into the account the total kilometres a rickshaw and a taxi runs in Mumbai, the driver is expected to make Rs76 extra per day, per shift," Kurian added.
Just how much is the taxi and autorickshaw trade in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR) losing every day because of the delay in fare hike? If calculations of one of the biggest rickshaw unions in the city is anything to go by, it could be in the range of a whopping Rs3 crore per day.
General secretary of Mumbai Rickshaw Men's Union, Thampi Kurian said that a rickshaw driver is expected to make 86 paise more every kilometre, after the hike comes in. "Our numbers show that taking into the account the total kilometres a rickshaw and a taxi runs in Mumbai, the driver is expected to make Rs76 extra per day, per shift," Kurian added.
With around 2.4 lakh rickshaws and taxis in the MMR – which includes Thane, Navi Mumbai and the regions beyond Dahisar – and a dominant number of these drivers working in two shifts, the union has put the total number of vehicles in two shifts at 4 lakh.
"So a loss of Rs76 per rickshaw each day would translate to around Rs3 crore per day. Considering that we should have got our fare hike as per the Hakeem Committee report by May 1, look at the amount of money we have lost this month itself. It is something that the government should seriously look into," he added.
The downside to the fare hike impasses, said Kurian, was that it could prompt unscrupulous drivers to tamper their meters and make illegal gains. "That would be a disservice to the passenger because we have seen that more than strict supervision, a proper fare ensures that the meter is not tampered," Kurian added.
However, chances of a fare hike seem to be thin at the moment. The courts are on vacation till June 8, and since the permission of the courts will be required for the state to announce a fare hike, it might not be before the middle of June that a move will be made regarding the same.
Still, with public sentiment in Mumbai not exactly in favour of the rickshaw and taxi trade – thanks to perennial problems like fare refusals and fast meters – the state government might also not rush in with a fare hike.
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
)
)
)
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}