Coming soon, radio autos for NCR towns

Travelling to the Capital’s satellite towns, Gurgaon, Noida and Ghaziabad, will get easier and safer. The Delhi government has decided to rope in private companies to run auto-rickshaw services in these areas along the lines of radio cabs — with phone booking facilities and proper meters.

Travelling to the Capital’s satellite towns, Gurgaon, Noida and Ghaziabad, will get easier and safer. The Delhi government has decided to rope in private companies to run auto-rickshaw services in these areas along the lines of radio cabs — with phone booking facilities and proper meters.

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The autos will come with safety features, such as global positioning system, panic button and two-way radio system between the driver and the call centre.

Transport department officials said private companies will be given bulk permits of 250 and 500 autos. “We will give 4,000 permits to run between Delhi and Haryana towns and another 4,000 to run between Delhi and UP towns,” said an official. He added that transport departments of the two states would have to counter-sign the permits.

Delhi signed the reciprocal common transport agreement with UP, Haryana and Rajasthan in 2008. But while buses and taxis started moving freely, the decision on autos could not be implemented. It was only after the Supreme Court allowed Delhi transport department to add 45,000 more autos that the department framed the new policy.