Officials say the booth near Shivaji Nagar railway station is not visible to passengers; they will relocate it and ensure action is taken against auto drivers who quote high fares and take passengers for a ride
Pune RTO
The Regional Transport Office (RTO) and the city traffic police department had set up the booth for pre-paid auto rickshaws near Shivaji Nagar railway station last year to prevent passengers being fleeced and to ensure their convenience.
However, due to the booth — located next to Shivaji Nagar bus stand — not being visible to passengers, auto drivers continued to take them for a ride.
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The pre-paid auto rickshaw booth started by Pune RTO and Pune Traffic Police has been nearly deserted of late, as most of the citizens are unaware of its existence. Pic/Shashank Sane
They were helped by the fact that neither the police nor RTO officials were taking action against them, despite over 60 per cent of passengers getting off at Shivaji Nagar railway station using auto rickshaws to get to their destinations.
Keeping all this in mind, RTO officers have decided to relocate the booth to make it easier for passengers to find it, and will also launch a drive to crack down on errant auto drivers.
Pune Regional Transport Officer Jitendra Patil said, “The pre-paid auto booth was started in March last year as there was a huge demand for auto rickshaws in the area. However, over a period of time, the number of passengers kept decreasing, probably because the booth is not visible from a distance and most passengers are unaware of it. We are now planning to relocate the booth.”
Patil also claimed that they will be carrying out a drive against errant auto rickshaw drivers who refuse to ply passengers to short distances and ask for extra money.
Speaking to mid-day, Sarang Awad, DCP (traffic), said, “We are planning to hold a massive drive against auto rickshaw drivers and carry out checks at regular intervals so that the issue of errant drivers can be resolved.”
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