After faulty meters, now crackdown on fare refusal

After the Andheri Regional Transport Office (RTO) cracked the whip on faulty meters, the Wadala RTO on Monday began a drive against errant autorickshaw drivers in eastern suburbs, who turned down fares.

After the Andheri Regional Transport Office (RTO) cracked the whip on faulty meters, the Wadala RTO on Monday began a drive against errant autorickshaw drivers in eastern suburbs, who turned down fares.

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This time too, rickshaw drivers tried to stall the action. The RTO authorities said that drivers surrounded them and obstructed the drive, which they plan to conduct daily, till the menace ends.

Officers from the Wadala RTO formed two teams and reached Kurla and Mulund railway stations in the evening peak hours. 14 instances of rickshaw drivers turning down fares were registered — five from Kurla and nine from Mulund.

“We posed as commuters and asked them to ply. When they refused, we took necessary action,” said said Vishwambar Shinde, assistant regional transport officer, who was leading the team at Kurla. “Many drivers admitted that they had faulty meters. They assured us that they would recalibrate them and not turn down passengers.”

“When we saw someone refusing to ply, we punished him. We also found that their meters and we penalised them for that too,” said Tanaji Chavan, assistant regional transport officer, who was at Mulund. The meters are verified and sealed by the RTO after each repair. The seal is not supposed to be opened by unauthorised persons. The Wadala RTO has given 10 days to rickshaw drivers to fix tampered meters.