Auto, taxi fares increased in UP; but Noida autos still ply without meters

Diesel-run auto-rickshaws will charge ₹10.44 per km, CNG-autos ₹10.24 per km and petrol autos will charge ₹9.97 per km. Diesel taxis and cabs will charge ₹15.20 per km, petrol taxis ₹14.67 per km and CNG ₹13.95 per km

The Uttar Pradesh government on Monday increased the fares of auto-rickshaws, taxis and buses across the state.

At Ghaziabad's old bus stand on Tuesday. On Monday, the Uttar Pradesh government revised the fares of autorickshaws. (Sakib Ali/HT Photo)

In Noida and Ghaziabad areas, the minimum fare has been increased from ₹6.17 to ₹10 (per km) for autos and from ₹6.49to ₹15 (per km) for taxis.

According to the revised order, issued by state transport authority chairman L Venkateshwarlu, diesel-run auto-rickshaws will charge ₹10.44 per km, CNG-autos ₹10.24 per km and petrol autos will charge ₹9.97 per km. Earlier, the autos charged ₹6.17 for the first kilometre and ₹5.86 for every kilometre thereafter.

Similarly, diesel taxis and cabs will charge ₹15.20 per km, petrol taxis ₹14.67 per km and CNG ₹13.95 per km.

The government has also fixed rates for taxis that can take up to six passengers, maxi cabs, 41 seater vehicles, those with over 42 seats and deluxe buses, goods carriers and state transport buses.

However, commuters said the reality is that in cities such as Ghaziabad and Noida, autos rarely run by the meter and the drivers demand fares that are much higher than the government prescribed rates.

Currently, auto-rickshaws in the National Capital Region (NCR), which are permitted to ply in the NCR cities of Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, Rajasthan and Haryana, charge a minimum of ₹25 for the first two kilometres and then ₹8 for every additional kilometre.

These autos also charge 25% of the total fare as an additional night charge (from 11pm-5am) and ₹7.50 per kilo of luggage. In Delhi, the rate was increased last year and the autos are allowed to charge ₹30 as the minimum fare and ₹11 for every additional kilometre.

The auto drivers’ union has been demanding that the rates be increased to ₹30 for the first two kilometres in NCR as well, followed by ₹16 for every additional kilometre, and ₹15 extra for large luggage.

They said anything lower will not give them any margin after paying for fuel and servicing of vehicle. Even the present increase, drivers said, is not adequate and needs to be enhanced further, especially in NCR towns.

“The rates have been finally revised but even that is lower than our expectation and we are going to write to the government about it. These rates give us almost no profit. The rates were last revised in 2015, when the CNG price was only ₹37 per kilo. Now, CNG costs ₹81.18 per kilo in Delhi and around ₹86 in Noida, but auto fares have not been revised accordingly,” said Lal Babu, president, NCR auto association.

“Also, the new order is unclear about the minimum rate for the first two kilometres. We need clarity on that. If that is still ₹25, that is too low,” he said.

Transport officials said the minimum rate and luggage charges are unclear in the revised rates and clarity will be sought from the state authority.

“Once we get a written query, which we expect to get by Wednesday from the auto drivers, we will forward it to the state authority and seek a suitable response,” said Siyaram Verma, assistant regional transport officer (ARTO), Gautam Budh Nagar.

There are around 15,000 registered autos in Ghaziabad, 17,000 in Gautam Budh Nagar and about 4,000 of them are NCR autos.

While officials claim that as per their records, all autos with a valid fitness certificate and a running meter, auto drivers said not more than 2,000 autos have a running meter.

The transport department also ran campaigns and penalised several autos last November for not having meters. However, the situation has not improved much, say commuters.

“I travel by autos regularly and have never travelled by meter in Noida. If I’m hiring an auto through the app, the minimum fare charged is always around ₹50 even for a few kilometres. If I travel around 10 kilometres, the fare is easily ₹120-150 now. These government rates really don’t affect the people as auto drivers always charge whatever fare they like,” said Namita Relan, a student living in Sector 39.

Another resident said most autos only travel along fixed routes and have fixed charges. “There are fixed routes from most sectors to places such as Botanical Garden, Sector 51, Sector 18 or Noida City Centre. The autos take 3-4 passengers and charge ₹10-20 per person. These autos never use meters,” said Abhinav Saha, a resident of Sector 75.

RTO officials said they are aware of these “fixed routes” but did not penalise autos as these were important informal modes of public transport. “Such stage carriage plying is not permitted, but is a viable and cheap travel option for most people” said an official, asking not to be named.