It's business as usual for errant autos

On day 25 of MiD DAYs Meter Down campaign a rogue rickshaw driver tried fleecing a newcomer to the city while another tried to bribe a traffic cop to evade fine silver citizens complain of unsympathetic behaviourPlace Malad Station W and Opposite DMartTime 10 am12 pm and 515 pm7 pmOffenders caughtu00a0 19Commuters Speak Shikha Valunj said Of late I have started leaving early in the morning so that I dont waste time on finding an auto that is ready to ply me to my office at Interface Shankar Gupta said These drivers have no respect for the elderly It has become next to impossible to find an auto that is ready to ferry me to my residence at Liberty garden Shomita Chatterjee said The rickshaw drivers are extremely rude and think that people are at their mercyPlaying it cool An auto driver downplays traffic cops warning after being fined PICMAHESH CHAFEAuto Drivers SpeakOn being caught for refusing to ply a passenger Mohammed Shamim said I had to deliver a tiffin box to my kid at his school hence I said no Ram Verma who was caught for refusing three passengers in a row said I have been driving since 5 am and was on my way back home to Charkop for lunchSpot Of BotherDilip Chemkar was caught for demanding extra from a passenger and refusing to ply him by meter PSI K P Shinde said Since the passenger was new to the city the rickshaw driver thought he would fleece him However timely intervention on our part foiled his bid On being caught for refusing to ply a passenger Mohammed Ansari tried bribing the officer However none of his tactics deterred the cop from fining him Text Nivedita DargalkarPlace Ghatkopar EastTime 10 am12 pm and 5 pm7 pmOffenders caught 4Commuters Speak Sheetal Koletkar who wanted to go to Tilak Road said Every day at least five rickshaw drivers refuse to ply me Its nearby and hence most of the drivers dont want to go there Rahul Palve a sales executive in Mankhurd said Refusals from auto drivers has now become a routine B N Singh a senior citizen said The station area is always congested during peak hours I asked the driver to ferry me to Amar Mahal but he refused Now that the traffic cops have caught him he deserves to be punished for his rudeness Auto Drivers SpeakRamesh Yadav The lady approached me for a fare to Tilak Road The reason why I said no was because I had never been there Baburao Barade The passenger approached me for a fare to Mankhurd It was a long distance fare that would have fetched me good money However I was on my way for refuelling Manoj Kumar I did refuse the passenger to Amar Mahal But the fact is I received nearly 10 calls from the rickshaw owner asking me to hand over the vehicle to the driver working in the next shiftText Faisal G TandelPlace Kala NagarTime 515 pm645 pm Offenders caughtu00a010Commuters Speak Meena R Hoole who was denied a fare thrice said I face denials on a regular basis They behave as if they are doing a favour by plying us We are paying for their services arent we Kishori Munde said Ive wasted hours behind finding an auto These drivers literally make us beg to be plied to our respective destinations which is frustrating Besides they are always ready with their stupid excusesKeep quiet Traffic cops reprimands a driver picSantosh NagwekarAuto Drivers SpeakMohammed Naushad who was caught for refusing a passenger and speeding said I have a passenger waiting for me at Bandra station hence I refused Raju Parappa The front tyre of my auto is in a bad shape and might burst any moment I was on my way to a mechanic Besides I didnt notice the passenger so why should I wait Raj Kumar Pandey I have to return the auto in Kurla Since the passenger wanted to go in the opposite direction I refused Text Samiya DinwarePlace Nirmal Lifestyle MulundTime 530 pm730 pmOffenders caught 2Commuter Speaks Farhana Mohammad Shaikh said I was with my husband and kid and we wanted to go to Vikhroli but none of the drivers agreed to ferry us And for reasons bestknown to themLike I care A driver smiles after being fined PICDatta KumbharAuto Driver SpeaksMahesh Badelal Yadav I am a new driver and it is time that I go hand over the auto to its owner I work in shifts Anyways Vikhroli is too far Text Mukul Pawar