Team-BHP - Rickshaw drivers punished for refusing ride

Looks like times have changed in Bombay. Back in 2005-2006, I used to get into the auto, inform the driver of my destination and that was it. No questions asked. Infact; they were so good that even night fares were followed using a rate card.

Sad to see them head the Bangalore, Pune way.

The excuse that he will have to return 'empty' has become so ridiculously overused that I no longer have sympathy for these fellows. Even for hyper busy places like Marathahalli in Bangalore rickshaw drivers have used this excuse. If I ask them out of curiosity which place do you actually want to go to, they pretend not to understand me and run away.

I think licenses should be first confiscated as a warning and cancelled for repeat offenders. Police in Bangalore should send some plain clothes personnel to the so called 'rickshaw stands' to check their behaviour. These have become dens of goonda type drivers who are least interested in plying their autos and only gather there for chatting, ogling at women and hoping some fat goat will come along for slaughter who will pay twice the usual fare.

This is a welcome move by authorities. This will help commuters a lot. However, such initiatives rarely go beyond Thane.

The satellite towns of Kalyan Dombivli and beyond are daily harassed by many such rickshaw drivers. You land at Kalyan railway station after a 8-12 hour journey, want to go to Dombivli and auto drivers demand 250/- straight.

My friend's house is hardly 1.5 km from railway station. No auto goes by meter. There was a farce done earlier for meter auto but no one knew from where they could get one. Eventually he shells out Rs. 40 daily just to reach his home because after a stressfull day he is too tired to walk. The night fare for 1.5 km is just 23 rupees.

There is another issue with auto drivers that nobody is talking. They accept only cash (except Ola/Uber app). Due to their demand of "Exact Change" its always problem to pay them exact amount. For them UPI / PayTM does not exist.

Kalyan railway station is horribly (that's the correct word) surrounded by auto rickshaws. They even don't give way to state transport and municipal transport buses and jam the bus stops too. Feels like we are surrounded by goons.

There were many complaints in the past and some days even police took some action. But after few days it becomes the same situation.

Local administration here in Mumbai is known to get intermittent fits for implementing rules very 'Strictly'.:rules:
However, the very next day, things return back to ‘normalcy’.

One instance for eg;

One fine morning of July 2015, there was this drive when all vehicles passing over a stretch of road (Mahape Road to be precise) were scrutinized for fancy number plates and penalized heavily (Rs 400 penalty). The drive progressed extensively for one full day scrutinizing every vehicle passing by.

Four years down the line, the same police booth exists even now; several vehicles ply along the same stretch daily carrying illegal/ distorted number plates such as ornamental fonts, local language, invisible fonts, etc., but never once, since then, any vehicle has been stopped for the same reason.

I can recall several such instances, and co-relate to the impulsive actions of the admnistration.

I believe this drive of penalizing disobedient Auto drivers is a result of some impulsive stunt or to help build some context for upcoming elections, but will also find the same fate. The Auto rickshaw union is quite strong and will ensure that their ‘interests’ are not harmed just for the sake of commuters.

Quote:

Have promised myself that I will never support auto drivers

I am doing the same, have decided to not take auto rickshaw in any situation. I am ready to wait on road, take any of the available alternative like bus, ola/uber than to use their service. Here in Pune they are behaving like doing charity to passengers. I think we should boycott them to teach lesson of their life.

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Originally Posted by am1m (Post 4638077)

I avoid autos like the plague too, but have realized that it the lower patronage and the entry of Uber/Ola has not made too much of a difference to auto guys in Bangalore or to their attitude. They know which areas/times of the day will see customers who have no choice and who are willing to pay whatever they demand. So they are happy with just a few overcharged fares a day rather than do several more trips at the metered rate.

I have had so many bad experiences with Auto guys in Bangalore, that I stopped using them completely. The cops in Bangalore are scared of these guys and there is no one to take them on.
I once asked an Auto guy to switch on the meter, when he asked me 300Rs for a 4km ride and he told me to walk home (which I did ) lol: .

Another time, an Auto guy dropped me at a completely empty part of the road, around 6 kms away from home, at 2 AM in the night, saying that he was running out of fuel and there was no gas pump nearby. And still took double the normal charge.

I wish Bangalore cops had enough courage to take on these guys and cancel their licenses like in Mumbai.

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Originally Posted by 2000rpm (Post 4638085)

My point is, while we get pissed for auto drivers asking for more money, we have accepted the same behaviour from Ola and Uber. I routinely pay 2x on my to and fro journey. I have never paid even 1.1 x for Auto travel in Mumbai!

We're a socialist country. Autos, while privately owned, are controlled and regulated by the government for decades and will do so. And in the Socialist society, you can't take advantage of the conditions and increase fares. We don't even have surge pricing in buses and trains. Most Cities in the US will charge you 12.5% or 25% more if you ride public transit from 6am-9am and 3pm-7pm on Monday-Friday. (Minor variations in the timings exist)

Ola and Uber have come in the capitalist society in which one can charge what it wants. The consumer chooses to pay if he wants the service. Our socialist mindset with the Auto won't change as long as the rules aren't changed.