[Aditya]

The Government of Maharashtra has announced that it will issue 81,450 replacement auto rickshaw permits against lapsed ones across 49 RTOs. The permits are to be issued between March and October 2014.

To apply for an auto rickshaw permit, the applicant should be at least 20 years of age, residing in the state of Maharashtra for 15 years, without a break and should have passed Class X. Additionally, the applicant should have basic knowledge of Marathi.

The Government had stopped the issue of auto rickshaw permits in 1997 - seventeen years ago. The three-wheeler segment has seen a decline of about 11% due to the economic slowdown. The Government's decision to issue replacement permits should provide some relief to players like Bajaj Auto, which manufactures and sells 45,000-50,000 auto rickshaws a month.

Link to Team-BHP News Article

[GTO]

Thread moved to the commercial vehicle section, thanks for sharing!

[mints21]

I think it is a wise step. The government should be proactive in announcing such steps. The entire system should be set up in such a way that the buyers of these vehicles should be able to recover their cost at the earliest and the life of the Auto should be restricted to maximum 8 years. This will ensure that new autos enter roads and the old ones are out. Not only the new autos would look nice on roads but regular purchases will give a much desired boost to the Indian Auto manufacturers.

Further, what needs to be taken care is that these autos don't find their way in the hands of touts, who then rent it out to drivers. This is a common practise in Delhi, which has made commute by an Auto a nightmare.

[MaxTorque]

In my opinion, Government should slowly switch to four wheelers for city transport. An entry level car with speed governor will be a better option considering the safety of the passengers and our climate conditions. Prospective owners may need financial help which can be granted as soft loans.

[silversteed]

This is a retrograde step, IMO. A car that runs on petrol or CNG is far cleaner and more efficient than an auto-rickshaw. Not to mention the added safety of the occupants. It's high time at least metro cities such as Mumbai phase out auto-rickshaws. The affected 3-wheeler owners must be provided concession while buying cars/4-wheeled SCVs such as Tata Iris

[hellmet]

I find it such a relief to not deal with autos in any city where they are either banned or restricted. This is a very retrograde step and will ensure that Mumbai citizens will continue to have to deal with the auto rickshaw menace for another decade or two.

[alpha1]

Wow quite a lot of comments bordering on elitism here on this thread.
Can someone suggest what would be the the total cost of ownership (capital cost) of cheapest 4 wheeler compared to the three wheeler?
Also what would be the running cost of operating it?

There IS a sizable population that still considers AUTO rick to be a luxury and to be taken when you don't wish to wait for the city bus, or when you really wish to not smell other passengers sweat during the rush hours.


As of now with today's data the auto in pune charges Rs11/km (being run on petrol), whereas the four wheeler taxi (unfortunately not the cheapest 4 wheeler hence you may dispute the figures) charges Rs25/km (being run on CNG/LPG).

HUGE HYOOGE difference for poor people (like me).

But why all good news comes during elections.

I think, the government shouldn't take such steps during elections. Is it really an election gimmick or am i thinking in the wrong direction.

[silversteed]

Originally Posted by alpha1

Wow quite a lot of comments bordering on elitism here on this thread.
Can someone suggest what would be the the total cost of ownership (capital cost) of cheapest 4 wheeler compared to the three wheeler?
Also what would be the running cost of operating it?

There IS a sizable population that still considers AUTO rick to be a luxury and to be taken when you don't wish to wait for the city bus, or when you really wish to not smell other passengers sweat during the rush hours.


As of now with today's data the auto in pune charges Rs11/km (being run on petrol), whereas the four wheeler taxi (unfortunately not the cheapest 4 wheeler hence you may dispute the figures) charges Rs25/km (being run on CNG/LPG).

HUGE HYOOGE difference for poor people (like me).

I would request you to go through this thread:
http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/commer...impressed.html

If the difference in Total Cost of Ownership had been so HYOOGE, many auto drivers won't have switched to the Tata Iris. And if the travelling public weren't finding it as economical as the 3-wheeler, the demand for these "auto-taxis" won't have picked up.

I can't comment on the other posts, but mine is definitely lightyears away from elitism and it borders on an emphasis on being ecofriendly and safer, while being economical. Q.E.D

[alpha1]

Originally Posted by silversteed

I would request you to go through this thread:
http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/commer...impressed.html

If the difference in Total Cost of Ownership had been so HYOOGE, many auto drivers won't have switched to the Tata Iris. And if the travelling public weren't finding it as economical as the 3-wheeler, the demand for these "auto-taxis" won't have picked up.

I can't comment on the other posts, but mine is definitely lightyears away from elitism and it borders on an emphasis on being ecofriendly and safer, while being economical. Q.E.D

Thanks for leading me to the thread.
Since the fare of TATA Iris comes to be about the same as bajaj auto rick (with added safety included), I am sold on the concept!

[MaxTorque]

Originally Posted by alpha1

Wow quite a lot of comments bordering on elitism here on this thread.
Can someone suggest what would be the the total cost of ownership (capital cost) of cheapest 4 wheeler compared to the three wheeler?
Also what would be the running cost of operating it?

Mate I am not trying to be an elitist, just shared my opinion. The auto rickshaw eco system needs a complete overhaul. I have not seen an auto driver who is ready to charge me as per the meter reading. Instead of pay by meter concept, they used to quote figures like Rs.300 - Rs.350 for a distance of 12-15 Kms. If I choose a cab service, the same distance can be traveled by paying less than Rs.300.

Now the proposed new auto rickshaws are a very less number compared the rickshaws already plying on road. So it's not going to impact those who prefer to commute by rickshaws.

End the day Government has made up it's mind to issue auto rickshaw license. So we are just discussing a hypothetical scenario.

[dj78]

Folks this is an interesting discussion with no easy answer. I'm from Kolkata - the "share auto" capital of the world. Yes this is an affordable transportation mode to many but the menace of this mode of transport has far outweighed it advantages - Rogue auto drivers disregard every law in the book and have taken the city to hostage of course with the patronage of the political parties.
I often joke with my wife that we are regressing so much that so we'll see even inferior modes of transport being introduced into the mainstream. One such mode is Vano (see link) and seems like my apprehensions are coming true.

http://www.telegraphindia.com/113102...p#.U0uFFlWSwuM