NEW DELHI: People who take autorickshaws for their daily commute may have to continue haggling with drivers over fare till June. Though the recalibration of fare meters of autos and black-yellow taxis will start on January 30, the exercise will continue till June 24. The transport department of Delhi government shared the recalibration schedule of auto fare meters vis-a-vis the revised fare structure with the department of weights and measures earlier this week. TimesviewThe new auto fares were notified on Jan 11. The meter recalibration process will be completed in nearly five and half months, which is inordinately long. Authorities should find a way to speed up the process. Without functioning meters, passengers would have no option but to go for a negotiated price, which often works to their disadvantage.According to officials, Delhi currently has close to 97,000 autos and 12,000 yellow-black taxis, which have benefitted from the fare revision. They added that officials of the weights and measures department could recalibrate about 1,000-1,500 meters by making necessary software changes on each working day.Commuters are complaining that auto drivers openly overcharge them up to 50-60% since their fare meters don’t have the revised fare structure and refuse to go if they try to negotiate. “Since the recalibration will take place in phases, we will continue to face the problem till the exercise is complete,” said Rajneesh Roy, a marketing professional. Many drivers rue that they continue to suffer losses despite the hike as they often accept a lower rate to avoid argument and not to lose passengers.Considering the demand for fare revision in the wake of multiple hikes in CNG prices in the last couple of years, the transport department decided to increase both the base fare and per-kilometre charges of both autos and airconditioned and non-AC black-yellow taxis last October. The revised fare — an increase of 22-37% — came into effect from January 9 with a gazette notification issued by the department. Though the recalibration process should have started immediately after the notification, the transport department did not issue the necessary schedule until January 24.The recalibration is a half-an-hour process where the department makes changes in the software of the fare meter, seals it and issues a certificate to the vehicle owner.
Source: https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/delhi/new-auto-fares-old-headache-to-linger/articleshow/97383821.cms