Commuters bear the brunt of resumed autorickshaw strike in Pune

Residents complained of overcrowded buses, pricier cab services, and uncompromising local auto drivers

Commuters in Pune bore the brunt of the autorickshaw strike against bike taxis, which resumed on Monday. Residents complained of overcrowded buses, pricier cab services, and uncompromising local auto drivers.

Commuters in Pune bore the brunt of the autorickshaw strike against bike taxis, which resumed on Monday. (HT FILE PHOTO)

“Students are generally met with harsh rates for travelling in Pune. We suffer daily, paying higher prices for cab services. The auto union strike has definitely increased people in buses, increasing rates of cabs and availability of any means of transport at all,” said Rashmeet Kaur, a student at INIFD.

While most faced an expected rise in prices and problems in their travel routines, surprisingly, some citizens found ease in travelling by buses. “I travel by bus every day. However, the routes are more refined and connected, hence, I could commute across the city. I did see a few autos running as well, which was a surprise given the strike,” said Gnyaneshwar Hawaldar, a resident of Karve Nagar.

The RTO office on Monday saw an influx of auto drivers campaigning for the aforementioned demands. Police officers were stationed to ensure free flow of traffic, however, residents were left to fend for themselves as autos remained off the streets for most parts of the day. “It is always difficult to hire an auto in the area where I reside, however, due to the strike, I was left with very few options to commute to college.” said Gargi Kulkarni a student.