As Bengaluru continues to reel under bike taxi bans and inconsistent app-based ride services, a commuter's viral post comparing auto fares on the meter versus app-based pricing has sparked a fresh wave of frustration online.
Sharing her experience on X (formerly Twitter), a Bengaluru woman posted, “The price on meter vs the price on Uber. If you don’t have your own vehicle in Bangalore, you’re s******.”
She also uploaded a photo showing a stark difference: while the auto meter showed ₹39 for a short 2.6 km ride, the Uber app, as claimed by the woman quoted ₹172 for the same distance, nearly four and a half times the metered rate.
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Check out her post here:
How did X users react?
The post quickly gained traction, with many X users reacting with a mix of surprise, sarcasm, and indignation. One user commented, “Woah, you found an auto that agreed to use the meter.”
{{/usCountry}}The post quickly gained traction, with many X users reacting with a mix of surprise, sarcasm, and indignation. One user commented, “Woah, you found an auto that agreed to use the meter.”
{{/usCountry}}To this, the woman clarified, “No, I asked him to turn it on just so I could see the actual price.”
Some users attempted to defend app pricing, citing dynamic models. “Uber prices are based on supply-demand, while meter prices are fixed by the government,” one user explained, adding, “But even that logic fails when the government bans bike taxis and removes non-Kannadiga auto drivers. It’s all being controlled by the auto mafia.”
Another commuter shared a recent observation, “In the last couple of days, Uber is showing fares close to what the meter would show, but the drivers just don’t accept rides. Ola and Namma Yatri confirm rides, but only when the fare is ₹50 or more than the actual rate.”
Amid soaring prices and limited availability, many called out what they saw as “absolute exploitation” by aggregator platforms.
Some even noted that owning a private vehicle in Bengaluru isn’t necessarily a solution either. “And in this traffic, even your own vehicle gives a mileage of less than 9 kmpl,” one user pointed out.
The viral post comes at a time when public transport and urban mobility in Bengaluru remain deeply contentious, with users frequently complaining about high fares, lack of enforcement of meter rules, and the recent crackdown on bike taxis, further narrowing last-mile options for commuters.
(Also Read: Bengaluru bike taxi riders use WhatsApp to dodge ban, contact commuters directly: Report)