Auto-rickshaw unions press Tamil Nadu govt for fare revision, warn of protest

Autorickshaw driver unions have urged the Tamil Nadu government to announce a longpending fare revision when Transport Minister A Vijay Tamilan Parthiban presents the departmentrsquos demands for grants in the Assembly on Friday The AutoTaxi Workers Association affiliated with the Centre of Indian Trade Unions has warned that driversrsquo associations will launch an agitation if the government fails to make a clear announcement on the revised tariff during the debateThe association has proposed fixing the minimum fare at Rs 60 for the first 15 km and Rs 30 for every additional kilometre Its demands also include a night tariff of oneandahalf times the normal fare and a waiting charge of Rs 1 per minuteAccording to association general secretary S Balasubramaniam the proposals were submitted to the government during a tripartite meeting chaired by the Transport Minister on July 9 The unions have sought the immediate finalisation and notification of the revised fare structure citing the rising operational costs faced by drivers Fuel prices vehicle maintenance expenses insurance premiums and the increasing cost of living have placed considerable pressure on auto drivers the association saidThe union argued that the existing tariff no longer reflected the actual cost of operating an autorickshaw The unions have also renewed their demand for tighter regulation of appbased bike taxis or a complete ban on their operationThey alleged that bike taxi services were taking away passengers from autorickshaws and reducing daily earnings of drivers The association said nearly five lakh families across Tamil Nadu depended directly or indirectly on the autorickshaw sector for their livelihoodIt urged the government to protect those families by regulating alternative passenger services and implementing a realistic fare structureTransport and Road Safety Commissioner Sigy Thomas Vaidhyan has convened a meeting with representatives of auto driversrsquo unions on Thursday to discuss the proposed fare revision and other issues affecting the sector The meeting is expected to cover the tariff structure enforcement of metrebased fares waiting charges night tariffs and concerns surrounding bike taxi servicesAutorickshaw fares in Tamil Nadu were last revised in August 2013 during the previous AIADMK government The tariff was then fixed at Rs 25 for the first 18 km and Rs 12 for every additional kilometreWith no official revision for 13 years many drivers have been collecting fares above the metre rate citing increases in fuel and vehicle maintenance costs Unions maintain that a governmentnotified tariff would protect both drivers and passengers by preventing arbitrary pricing and farerelated disputesThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever