After bike taxis, Bengaluru traffic cops target auto drivers for overcharging, improper documents: Report

In response to public complaints, Bengaluru's traffic police have initiated a crackdown on auto drivers for offenses like overcharging and refusing passengers.

Just days after Karnataka enforced a state-wide ban on bike taxis, Bengaluru’s traffic police have now begun a crackdown against auto rickshaws, stepping up enforcement against rule-breaking drivers. In the midst of mounting public grievances, authorities launched a widespread crackdown over the weekend, The Hindu reported.

The crackdown came in the midst of increasing complaints from commuters and passengers in Bengaluru. (Santosh Kumar /Hindustan Times)

READ | Bengaluru traffic worsens by 18% within a week of bike taxi ban: Report

Officials have drawn penalties for offences such as overcharging, refusing passengers, and operating without valid documents. Within just 48 hours, over 1,000 cases were registered, according to M. N. Anucheth, Joint Commissioner of Police (Traffic), who spoke to the publication.

The drive, aimed at cleaning up the city’s transport sector in the wake of the bike taxi ban, will run for at least two more weeks. Special undercover teams, posing as passengers, have been deployed across all traffic zones to catch offenders in the act, the report stated.

READ | Bengaluru's bike taxi riders in a fix over ban, urge Karnataka govt to reverse crackdown

A senior police officer said autorickshaw drivers who have been complaining about not getting customers, behave in an uncouth manner, demand excess fares and refuse to go on hire after the bike taxi ban.

On Sunday alone, traffic police cited 84 drivers for not wearing the prescribed uniform, 52 for fare-related violations, and 44 for refusing to accept passengers. Additionally, over 200 autos were penalized for improper parking, and nearly 700 were pulled up for various other infractions, the report said.

READ | Bengaluru faces surge in auto fares after bike taxi ban, commuters demand solutions

The police warned that habitual offenders risk severe action, including seizure of their licences.

Bike taxi drivers demand authorities to lift the ban

Days after their services were suspended across platforms, over a hundred bike taxi riders - affiliated with the Namma Bike Taxi Association - on Thursday called for a reversal of the decision. The association submitted an appeal seeking lawful recognition for bike taxis and the introduction of a structured regulatory framework in the midst of competition with auto rickshaws.

(HT.com reached out to Joint Commissioner of Police (Traffic) Anucheth MN for comment but did not receive an immediate response. This copy will be updated if and when a response is received.)