They are being charged 20% more than the tariff and are also taking Rs5 as convenience charges. This has hassled commuters, as they have to pay more than the tariff. "On Tuesday, few commuters were desperately looking for an auto that would come till Titwala but as we have not begun that route facility yet we could not help them," said one of the men at the prepaid auto counter.
The prepaid auto services started by Thane and Kalyan RTO have been a failure whereas 'Auto on call service' an initiative by a local in Kalyan and Dombivli are receiving a better response. State transport minister was present during the inauguration of the facility on June 1, despite beginning with a lot of pomp and vigour, the service seems to be a dud. In the last 3 days, only 17 commuters have availed of this facility, eight people on the first day and nine on the second.
They are being charged 20% more than the tariff and are also taking Rs5 as convenience charges. This has hassled commuters, as they have to pay more than the tariff. "On Tuesday, few commuters were desperately looking for an auto that would come till Titwala but as we have not begun that route facility yet we could not help them," said one of the men at the prepaid auto counter.
Although this was started to ensure the safety and security of women, at night the counter was closed. "I was returning late from work on Tuesday and had a female colleague who was relying on the newly started prepaid service to reach home but the counter was closed. So, I had to drop her home safely," said Vasudevan Iyer, resident of Kalyan. Meanwhile, another local resident, Kapil Pathak, added that, "It is essential for long distances but those services are yet to begun. For short distances, the share facility is more convenient."
Rajendra Phadke, vice president, Kalyan Commuters Association, said, "The fewer response is due to the 20% extra charges. For every 2kms, they have set a slab of 20% making it costly for those who are travel long distances. Rs 5 for the maintenance and convenience purposes is understandable but more than that becomes difficult. If they ensure that meter auto services are made available then there won't be need for prepaid services.
In thane, the prepaid auto service was started a month back but is getting lukewarm response from commuters in a month's time, only 217 people have availed the service. The RTO had started the service with a view to provide safe and secure ride specially for the female commuters but in absence of a dedicated stand, technical glitches combined with 20 percent more fare than the usual, there are very few people interested in availing the service.
While people have given thumbs down to the initiative taken by Regional Traffic Office (RTO) at Both kalyan and Thane, 'Auto on call service' started by a local resident Omkar in Kalyan and Dombivli are receiving a great response from the commuters.
With 80 autos plying both in Kalyan and Dombivli, Phatak gets near about 30-40 calls every day from different areas in Kalyan and Dombivli.
Commuters who have availed 'Auto on call service' said, "The best part of the service is that it is available 24 X 7 and they charge as per RTO guidelines. So, there is no extra money charged. We just need to give our addresses and the auto is at our doorstep. With a better service, it is also secured, so, we prefer this service over RTO's prepaid service."
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