Auto drivers fined for not carrying original tariff cards

Acting on commuter complaints, the state transport department launched a crackdown on Sunday on auto-rickshaw and taxi drivers for not carrying or not appropriately displaying original tariff cards with revised fares.

Flying squads of the three regional transport offices in the city — east (Wadala), west (Andheri) and central (Tardeo) — penalised more than 100 auto-rickshaw and taxi drivers in a single day. Tardeo RTO penalised five vehicles, Wadala RTO 56 and Andheri RTO 43. The fine for not displaying original tariff cards is Rs 100.

"They were all carrying photocopies of tariff cards. Photocopies are easier to tamper with and passengers are fleeced," said V N More, transport commissioner, adding that most of those caught were auto-rickshaw drivers.

"For the first few days after the fare revision, we didn't really take a very strict view of this as we understand it takes time for drivers to get original revised tariff cards. But now it has been ten days and it is surprising drivers are still not carrying original fare cards. We have done everything to distribute more cards than the required number," he said. More said immediately after the fare hike, Andheri RTO, which has 57,000 auto-rickshaws registered with it, distributed 78,000 tariff cards, while Wadala RTO made available 39,000 tariff cards for the 34,000 vehicles registered with it.

ALSO READ

Campus placements: IIT Bombay targets 100 companies in phase-II

‘Babasaheb Ambedkar a prisoner of caste politics, his relevance will grow’: Bharip Bahujan Mahasangh president Prakash Ambedkar

From anger to anguish

We deal with birth and death daily, but some deaths leave a void, say doctors