Passengers demand prepaid auto stand at Pune railway station

In September 2021, the Pune traffic police along with the railway administration had started a prepaid auto booth which garnered good response initially. Since the past few months however, this prepaid auto booth has been closed down as passengers were being forced to pay very high fares

While passengers travelling from Pune railway station have demanded that a prepaid auto-rickshaw stand be started in the wake of auto drivers charging exorbitant fares, a month’s delay in starting the same has sparked a blame game between the traffic police department and the railways wherein the traffic police has now written to the railways asking to shift the current prepaid stand booth in front of the entry gate which is not feasible according to the railways.

Auto-rickshawseen near Pune railway station. (Kalpesh Nukte/HT PHOTO)

Kishore Mane, a passenger, said, “Last week, I came to Pune from Nagpur by train and wanted to take an auto from the railway station to Sadashiv peth for which I was charged Rs250 by the auto driver. Going by the meter, it takes hardly Rs130 from the station to my home but the auto drivers here are charging the public very high fares. It is a regular scene at Pune railway station…”

In September 2021, the Pune traffic police along with the railway administration had started a prepaid auto booth which garnered good response initially. Since the past few months however, this prepaid auto booth has been closed down as passengers were being forced to pay very high fares by the auto drivers.

Ramdas Bhise, Pune railway station director, said, “We are in discussions with the Pune traffic police department while they have recently sent us a letter asking to shift the existing prepaid auto stand in front of the entry gate so that passengers can board the autos easily, but that is not possible.”

Deputy commissioner of police (traffic) Vijay Magar said, “We are in talks with the railways and we will soon come up with a solution.”