‘Meter Only Rule’ Render the Pre-Paid Auto Counters Outmoded
The Pre-paid auto counters mainly in areas including Chennai Central, Egmore Railway stations and the CMBT have offered respite for the commuters who were previously cheated by the auto drivers with high fare equivalent to the call-taxi.
Conversely, under the strict check on
‘meter only rule’ for autos in Chennai, the perception of pre-paid auto stand
has turned out to be unnecessary. In
this pre-paid auto stands, commuters can get a printed receipt of the fare to
be remunerated to the driver. This auto fare is based in RTO rules with the
charge of Rs 12 per kilometer.
Notwithstanding proper execution of
the rule, there are a few auto drivers who do not stick on to it. The pre-paid
system purges that division of the passenger’s problem, explained a senior
police official.
Officials also added that, the high
beneficial purpose of this pre-paid auto stand services is accountability. As
the fare receipt has both the registration number of the auto and contact
details of the driver, passengers can easily trace the particular auto in case
if they misplace their belongings unknowingly.
In case of the pre-paid auto, people
don’t have to bargain with auto drivers since the charges are fixed. They can
get down at any place in the locality cited in the slip with no extra payment, said
secretary of an auto union.
In CMBT, some drivers were seen annoying
to sway the operator to impart short-distance commuters to others, while hang
on to the long-distance ones.
The night fares which is one-and-a-half times more than the normal fare, has not been trapped by the computerized system.
