Fed up with auto rickshaw scams, a few Bangaloreans have resorted to using mobile applications that speed up the complaining process ufffd but will it help?
Fed up with auto rickshaw scams, a few Bangaloreans have resorted to using mobile applications that speed up the complaining processu00a0-- but will it help?
Bangaloreans are sick of constantly being ripped off by auto rickshaw drivers and are now doing something about it. Despite numerous attempts to improve the complaints process, many citizens feel the authorities are still falling short.
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| No time to complain: As the process of registering complaint against errant auto drivers is time consuming, people don't bother to file complaints against them. Representation pic |
Saurabh Minni is one such disgruntled commuter. He takes rickshaws all the time for work and was becoming fed up with being taken advantage of and often paying double the fare."I found the complaining process very difficult, I had to note the number, go home, and then write an E-mail. It was very hard," he says.
So he created an application that speeds up the complaining process by allowing users to send a complaint to the appropriate authorities from the back seat of the rickshaw. So far, he has had about 150 downloads, but expects it to increase.u00a0u00a0
Auto Watch is a website run by a group of concerned citizens who want to take steps towards 'addressing the increasing auto menace in Bangalore'.The website allows for easier routes to complaining and is linked to the transport authority's website, but project manager Sudha Nair is skeptical of whether this is actually seeing any pronounced changes in the status quo.
The city's 10 RTOs have only 70 inspectors among them, so even with these efforts, there is little actual change. According to Vijaya Vikram, Joint Commissioner in the Transport Department, improvement is unlikely unless big changes are made.u00a0
"The situation has not improved at all really," he says. "A complaint will be registered and then we will issue a notice. It needs to follow an appropriate order."
He says that his office receives about 25-30 complaints everyday, but it takes them over three weeks to fully engage each problem. The penalty levied from the auto driver is also only Rs 100 in most cases.
| Important! |
| ' The transport department helpline number is
u00a0u00a0 080-22254900 and also 080-22353785 available from
u00a0u00a0 10u00a0am to 5.30 pm.
u00a0
' Note the vehicle number (KA-XX-YY-ZZZZ)
u00a0u00a0 and emailu00a0the details to transcom@kar.nic.in ' Contact the Legal Metrology offices,
u00a0 on cat@kslmd.com or clm@kslmd.com ' Utilise the new Android apps.
u00a0u00a0 Log on to https://bangaloreauto.kiirti.org/ |
