New Delhi/Mumbai, June 22
Auto fares in both Delhi and Mumbai, and taxi fare in the capital, were raised today by the state governments. The new fare structure comes into effect from Wednesday in Delhi and from Thursday in Mumbai.
While the hike was anticipated following a rise in the price of CNG, the empowered group of ministers on petroleum pricing is also meeting on Friday and is expected to clear the proposal to raise petroleum prices if not the one proposing decontrol.
In Delhi, the new auto fare will be Rs 19 for the first two kilometre instead of the existing Rs 10 for the first, and would now cost Rs 6.50 for each subsequent kilometre against Rs 4.50 at present.
The fare for yellow-and-black taxis will be Rs 20 for the first kilometre against Rs 15 and thereafter Rs 11 for each subsequent kilometer against Rs 8.50 at present. In an attempt to sweeten the bitter pill, Lovely announced the launch of a new non-AC radio taxi service, fare of which will be almost the same as of the autos. The fare of radio taxis has not been changed
though. Lovely said installation of global positioning system (GPS) would become mandatory for autos after six months. The GPS is being installed so that if an auto refuses to accept a passenger, such complaints can be entertained.
The government will install the GPS and the hiked fare would include the cost of GPS instrument and maintenance of the monitoring centre, for which each auto owner will have to pay Rs 1500 to the department every month. The government would soon come up with a toll free number where a complaint against a driver could be lodged.
The government is also planning to set up call centres for the 55,000 odd three-wheelers in the national capital on the lines of those set up by Radio Cabs.
The Mumbai hike was announced after a flash strike by 75,000 taxis and 1,40,000 auto-rickshaws in Mumbai and Thane, engineered by the son of the state’s Revenue Minister Narayan Rane. Nitesh Rane’s NGO Swabhiman is trying to muscle its way to control the autorickshaw and taximen’s union.
