Mumbai: Special squads to crack down on errant taxi and auto drivers, illegal vehicles

Acting on the directives from transport minister Diwakar Raote, the regional transport offices (RTOs) have started taking action against errant taxi and autorickshaw drivers.

Acting on the directives from transport minister Diwakar Raote, the regional transport offices (RTOs) have started taking action against errant taxi and autorickshaw drivers.

On Monday, the motor vehicle department formed 18 teams, each comprising two RTO inspectors and an assistant inspector, to ensure action is against drivers for overcharging, refusing to short distance fares and behaving badly with commuters. The squads will also take action against vehicles plying without valid documents.

Raote called a special meeting last week after some autorickshaw unions threatened demonstrations against the government on June 17. Sources said the minister instructed transport commissioner to kick-start a special drive against errant auto and taxi drives as a reprieve to commuters.

A senior official, requesting anonymity, said, “The drive will continue for a week at least. The squads will take action against errant taxi and auto drivers as well vehicles plying illegally. The bogus vehicles will be sent to scrap yards where they will be destroyed suing hydraulic machines or JCBs,” said the RTO official.

For this special drive, of 18 teams 11 comprise officials from outside the city, added sources. RTOs are also seeking help from traffic cops to make this drive a success.

There are at present around 40,000 taxis and over one lakh autorickshaws in the city. Unions claimed there are over 25,000 bogus autorickshaws and the number is only going up as drivers do not take the vehicles to the scrap yards despite orders.

“Once stripped of permit, the vehicle supposed to be scrapped. However, some drivers seek permission to take the vehicle out of city and then keep operating them in the interior parts of the city,” said an RTO official.

Aimed to fish out bogus autos and taxis, even Mumbai Metropolitan Region Transport Authority (MMRTA) approved fixing of radio frequency identification (RFID) tags that will contain various details of vehicles and permits, on autorickshaws and taxis, in its last meeting.