2 weeks Ago By Joy Sengupta
Pune: Ravindra Sharma was happy after a prepaid autorickshaw ride from the Pune station recently. "I often come to Pune as my son studies here. Earlier, autorickshaw drivers would blurt out any amount as fare and never go by the meter.
I paid as much as Rs550 to Rs600 to go to the Airport Road. This time, I spotted the prepaid booth, tried it and paid much less. I think such booths should come up in different areas of the city," the Bengaluru resident said.
Kaushal Singh Lamba, a college teacher in Delhi, was pleased with the prepaid autorickshaw service at the Pune airport. "I waited for a cab for around 25 minutes before I saw the prepaid booth. Since I was travelling alone, I tried it and found it to be very good.
I reached my place in Kondhwa faster, paying a tad more than the cab fare at that point of time," Lamba, a teacher at a college in Delhi, said. The prepaid autorickshaw service is available at the airport and the Pune Junction station at present. Commuters are charged as per the Regional Transport Office (RTO)-approved rate.
As a result, the demand for pocket-friendly pre-paid auto booths in different parts of the city has multiplied. According to people, their problems will come down drastically if the RTO and the Pune traffic police, in coordination with the autorickshaw unions, start the same. Baba Shinde, the president of Maharashtra State Goods and Passenger Transport Association, said, "When I was a member of the Regional Transport Authority (RTA) in 2008-09, we proposed prepaid autorickshaw stands in Swargate, Pune station and Shivajinagar, among other places.
We conducted a proper survey about routes and fares. The plan couldn't see the daylight for some reason. A lot of infrastructure is needed to start such booths.
The traffic police and the RTO have to take the lead and engage an NGO for the service. Asking any one autorickshaw union to start these may invite trouble. These unions always have infighting issues.
The RTA, headed by the Pune collector, should seriously think about this and implement it," Shinde said. Keshav Kshirsagar, the president of Bagtoy Rickshawala Union, had a bitter experience while starting the prepaid autorickshaw booth at Pune station. "It was a major struggle.
We had to deal with the errant autorickshaw drivers of the area. They created major troubles for us. At one time, we had to close the booth too.
Now, with the help of the police, the booth is working fine. We are looking at 500 bookings each day. Still, there are problems, but we are managing and moving ahead," he said.
He said a meeting with the Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC) officials regarding setting up a prepaid auto booth at the Swargate depot was on the cards. "After the rape, MSRTC had decided to set up the same. Things got stalled for a while because of the transfer of some officials.
We hope that the new divisional controller allows us to set up a booth at the depot. We are ready to set it up without any delay," he said. Commuters insisted that pre-paid auto booths shouldn't be limited to public transport hubs only.
"Why not set up these booths, even small ones, near Metro stations in addition to major roundabouts and streets? At least people will have options. There will be no ride refusal and fleecing. One doesn't require a lot of infrastructure to come up with the same.
Only a strong will is needed," said working professional Paresh Nandanani from Kothrud. Rahul Shitole, a young entrepreneur, ran the auto booth at the Pune station before the pandemic. He called for hard work and help from all quarters to make the prepaid autorickshaw system a success.
"A prepaid system won't work standalone, we have felt. We need to integrate it with an application-based solution. It needs a better understanding, hard work and help from all quarters," he said.
.
