Extra fare demand, refusals cast shadow on neighbourhood auto stands

1 2 3 Pune: Rashmeet Kumar, a working professional living in an apartment at Wadgaon Sheri, has a fixed autorickshaw driver to drop her at her workplace and ferry back home for a year now. Not long ago, she would walk down around 50 metres to an autorickshaw stand in her locality. It suddenly vanished.

"I wonder why the stand disappeared. I knew most of the ‘helpful' drivers there. My office is not far away.



Now, I can book rides through Uber, Rapido or Ola, but their partner drivers often decline short distance rides. So, I opted for a permanent autorickshaw driver," she said. Like Rashmeet, many commuters are comfortable with fixed drivers these days.

Why? Fewer friendly auto drivers in neighbourhood stands and repeated refusals. Several commuters are once again feeling the need of autos in neighbourhood stands after Uber and Rapido gave its driver partners the option of plying by meter. The aggregators said the fare reflecting on the app was only suggestive.

There are 890 legal autorickshaw stands in Pune. The Regional Transport Office (RTO), Pune, has begun an exercise to identify those and get the real picture. "The numbers can be fewer now.

Some auto stands might have been removed because of many factors, especially construction. We are trying to ascertain it and get the fresh figures. This will give us an idea as to how many stands are needed," Swapnil Bhosle, Pune deputy RTO, told TOI.

Keshav Kshirsagar, the president of Baghtoy Rickshawala Union, said, "The RTO, Pune traffic police and Pune Municipal Corporation decide on the location of auto stands, after unions propose the same. After ascertaining the usefulness and traffic worthiness of a stand, the Regional Transport Authority (RTA) headed by the Pune collector approves it. It is PMC's job to provide the infrastructure, like space and boards, for it.

We have proposed to set up stands at many spots, but things have not moved ahead. When the demand is too high at a particular place, we open one without permission." Several commuters complained about vanishing auto stands and fewer vehicles in neighborhoods.

Sujata Dixit, a resident of the Tilak Road area, said getting autorickshaws in the busy area was tough in the absence of a proper stand. "There was an auto stand near the Alka Talkies. Now, a restaurant has come up at the spot.

The board of the stand still exists, but autos are no more parked there. I used to take autos from there till about two years ago," said the 60-year-old. Vanishing auto stands compounded problems of not-so-tech-savvy people, like Dixit.

"I am not very technology savvy, but I have downloaded Uber and Rapido apps on my phone. Driver partners of these apps don't turn up quite frequently," she said. Swati Chavan, a student, said autorickshaw stands had almost lost their significance.

"These days, very few people walk up to these stands to get an autorickshaw. Moreover, most drivers either refuse short rides, ask for extra fare or just refuse to ply by the meter. Almost all autorickshaw drivers do the same in different localities.

There is an auto stand near my locality in the NIBM Road area. But I am more comfortable calling a Rapido or Uber auto," she said. Sachin Dote, a working professional living in Baner, agreed.

"Until and unless the autorickshaw drivers stop fleecing and cheating passengers, things won't improve. Only a few in real crisis will walk to the stands. The era of auto stands is almost over.

Recently, I called a Rapido to go to the airport after drivers of two autos parked in front of my building asked for almost double the usual fare. Why will I ride with them?" he said..