All the new taxis, autos will have electronic meters

Despite opposition from the unions, the state will replace mechanical meters with electronic ones in all the taxis and autorickshaws in the city.

Minister of state for transport Dharmaraobaba Atram said, “We have already drafted the government resolution.”

Atram said the proposal will be implemented on all the new taxis and autorickshaws that have been registered after March 1 this year. “But we also intend to replace the existing meters on all the taxis and autorickshaws with electronic ones in a phased manner,” he said.

The existing meters are easy to fiddle with and passengers invariably end up paying more than the actual fare. “Installation of electronic meters will help passengers as they show accurate reading. Passengers will receive a printout of the fare which can be verified with the tariff card,” Atram said.

“E-meters are highly transparent. Commuters will be assured of proper billing,” said Shirish Deshpande, vice-president of MGP.

Taxi and rickshaw unions continue to oppose the idea of installing electronic meters in existing transit vehicles. “The directive is for new taxis and not for the existing ones. Also, it is a misunderstanding that electronic meters cannot be tampered with. On the contrary, if tampered, these can charge exorbitant rates as they run faster than the mechanical ones,” said AL Quadros of Bombay Taximen’s Union.

“Every machine can be tampered with. Does it mean that we stop upgrading
our technology?” asked Deshpande.