Woes Of An Auto Rickshaw Passenger

I'm rich. I travel by auto rickshaws." 

- Auto rickshaw passenger to a Mercedes owner

The above joke has been doing the rounds for a while now, and somehow it seems like nothing short of reality. Being a resident of Navi Mumbai can be a tough job. Though people call it- the developed city (I’m not arguing against it), there’s way more scope for development. There has been a lot of debate about the rising auto rickshaw prices, but looks like no one’s paying any attention to it. Paying Rupees 65 for a 10-minute drive to college has literally got my wallet empty. You’d ask me to take the bus or the train, but is that a solution? The frequency of buses here are pathetic and I can’t afford to get late to college. And a train ride for a 10 minute journey, which makes it a half an hour journey, which includes walking up to the station, waiting for the train, and then walking up to college, doesn’t make much sense to me. Therefore, the only feasible option is the rickshaws.

In Mumbai where they charge as per the meter for travelling from Santacruz to Bandra or Wadala, our dear auto wala’s here ask for a whopping 20 to 30 rupees extra from what the meter reads. Now is that even fair? Normally if we follow the meter fare, the ride from Vashi to Nerul shouldn’t cost me anything above 40, but I’m compelled to pay at least 65 to 70 bucks. The scene almost looks like that with a vegetable vendor, where we try and bargain the prices and then agree with them, because we are the ones in need.

Another instance being the minimum fair being increased to Rupees 14 in Navi Mumbai, where it is only Rupees 11 in Mumbai. The reason stated was that most auto’s are running on petrol, but if you take a close look, we see that most are actually running on CNG. So aren’t they making extra profit at the cost of the hard-earned money of the citizens? But then again, I feel relieved that I don’t stay in Khargarh or Panvel, where the auto fare’s seem to be rising at an exorbitant level. The minimum charges there amount to Rupees Twenty. That’s a perfect SCORE! I don’t understand what it is with these autowala’s and why aren’t people speaking out against it?

Commuting in the rickshaw’s has equaled what we’d pay for a meal in a good restaurant. This has to STOP and people need to raise their voice against such issues. It’s time they realize, that if they encourage the unreasonable prices, the auto wala’s are going to continue quoting such rates. Also the Government needs to address these issues and help the citizens.

Otherwise, it wouldn’t be long before you think of driving an auto to earn those big bucks!

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This problem has been prevailing for quite some time, and I thought it needs to be addressed. Hence, I've sent the article over to Hindustan Times. Well I did receive a positive response from them. Let's see!

:)