Pink autorickshaw service resumes operation

To ensure the safety of women, pink autorickshaws - a service exclusively for women - are being reintroduced in the city from Friday. Leena Dhankhar reports.

To ensure the safety of women, pink autorickshaws - a service exclusively for women - are being reintroduced in the city from Friday.

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The Gurgaon traffic police have registered 21 pink autos, which will start from the MG Road Metro station and will only ferry women passengers.

The pink autos were first introduced in 2010. Initially, only 10 pink autos were introduced and gradually the number was increased to 50. But the service failed to garner a good response among women commuters.

All the drivers were verified by the traffic police and the service was made available round-the-clock for women.

Only three women passengers were allowed to commute in the auto at one time.

Meanwhile, features like panic button and GPS have also been installed in the autos this time.

The assistant commissioner of police (Traffic), Ravinder Tomar, told Hindustan Times on Thursday, "If the driver of any pink auto driver refuses to ferry a woman passenger, the latter can dial the police control room's emergency telephone no. 100 and complain against the driver or dial 8130990038 to contact the station house officer of the Metro station."

The pink autos will be parked at metro stations, while other auto-rickshaws will be stationed at a distance.

The fare will be decided by the sub-divisional magistrate and the regional transport department on Friday.

Though there will be no fare meter, charges would be according to each kilometre.