How Bengaluru cops in plain clothes caught auto-drivers demanding excess fare

Traffic cops in Bengaluru - in plain clothes - came hard on auto drivers who violated norms by demanding excess fare.

Published on: Oct 25, 2022, 10:51:09 IST

By Yamini C S

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The Bengaluru Traffic Police have taken auto drivers who demand excess fare to task by adopting an unusual approach. On Monday, they conducted a special drive by posing as customers in plain clothes.

The special drive targeted auto drivers in Bengaluru who demanded excess fares or refused to ply. (@KRPURATRAFFIC-Twitter)

More than a thousand cases were reported to registered against errant auto drivers for demanding more than usual fare, refusing to ply and others, data accessed by The Times of India indicated. Their last ‘special drive’ against excess fares charged by auto rickshaws was in July 2019.

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The K R Puram traffic police station shared a video of their drive on social media, saying, “Today conducted special drive against auto's for demanding excess fare and for refusing to go for hire. We were in plain clothes.”

The video shared by them showed an auto driver citing traffic and demanding ₹150 with no metre for a ride. Cops were seen negotiating with him as customers. “Live example,” they captioned the video.

On social media, people had mixed reactions, with some asking for similar drives in their localities while appreciating the initiative, and some saying this drive would not help everyday commuters unless a large coordinated action is taken across the city.

Traffic cops from the Hebbal traffic police station also followed course, writing, “Today we have conducted special drive against Auto Rickshaw and booked Refuse to go for hire - 03 Cases & Demanding excess fare - 02 Cases Total 05 Cases booked & taken legal action as per law. @blrcitytraffic @DCPTrNorthBCP @BlrCityPolice.”

READ | Bengaluru: Uber slashes minimum autorickshaw fare to ₹35

They also seized five auto rickshaws.

The High Ground and North division traffic police stations also conducted similar drives and booked several cases.

In total, cops booked as many as 1,116 cases, of which 312 were for demanding excess fare, 270 were for refusal to ply, among 532 other cases, in a single day.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Yamini C S
Yamini CS is a Senior Content Producer at Hindustan Times with nearly six years of experience in digital journalism. She is part of the India News desk, where she works on a wide range of stories cutting across civic issues, city-based developments, politics, governance, public policy, breaking news, trending topics, and international affairs that have an impact on India. Her role involves tracking fast-moving developments, verifying information from official and on-ground sources, and presenting news in a clear, accessible format for a digital-first audience. A significant part of her work includes handling live blogs during major news events, such as elections, court verdicts, political developments, civic disruptions, protests, weather-related alerts, and unfolding national or international incidents. Through live coverage, she focuses on timely updates to help readers follow complex stories as they evolve. Before moving to the broader India News desk, Yamini was associated with the Bengaluru desk at Hindustan Times, where she extensively covered urban governance, infrastructure, traffic and transport issues, weather events, public grievances, and civic administration in the city. This experience strengthened her grounding in city reporting and sharpened her focus on citizen-centric journalism. She began her career as a correspondent with Reuters after completing a postgraduate diploma in journalism from the Indian Institute of Journalism and New Media. Her early training instilled a strong emphasis on accuracy, sourcing, and news ethics, which continue to shape her reporting style. Outside of work, Yamini enjoys reading across genres, listening to music, and spending time with her family, which help her maintain balance in a fast-paced newsroom environment.Read More

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