'I was too sleepy to drive anyone'

On day 49 of MiD DAY's Meter Down campaign, commuters lamented about the refusals they heard from autos drivers to ply short distances

Place: Borivli Station (East and West)
Time: 9.30 am-11.30 am and 6 pm-7.30 pm
Offenders caught:u00a08
Commuters speak
Shambhavi Sinha said, "As my home is at a short distance from the station, most of the drivers speed away when I ask them to ply me. Hence, I am forced to cover the distance on foot."

Sanjana Bhove said, "Several drivers refuse to ply two passengers travelling in the same direction. They either ask one of the passengers to get off or demand both of them to pay separately for the ride. It's time these drivers tone down their arrogance and start plying short distance fares without a fuss."

Latika Sokhi said, "Since auto drivers are aware that the buses are jam-packed during peak hours, they exploit this opportunity to fleece passengers and choose to travel only long distances."


Have some shame! An angry passenger vents his frustration on an
errant driver, who is being booked for a refusal. PIC/Mahesh Chafe

Auto drivers speak
On being caught for refusing to ply a short distance fare, rickshaw driver Sanjay Pandey said, "I've been driving the entire night and was feeling sleepy. Hence I refused the fare."

Gyanendra Mourya: "My vehicle has developed a technical snag and needs urgent attention. Since I was on my way to a garage, I refused to ply the passenger."

Spot of bother
Autorickshaw driver Saroj Surendra, in his hurry to flee the spot, almost knocked down Kuwarji Gada, a senior citizen whom he had refused to ply to a nearby destination. The on-duty traffic constable later apprehended Surendra and confiscated his licence for refusing to ply Gada.

Text: Nivedita Dargalkar

Place: Sion Junction
Time: 10 am-12 pm and 5 pm-6.30 pm
Offenders caught:u00a04
Commuters speak
Siddharth Punjabi, who was refused a fare to Bandra, said, "My friend and I waited for nearly half-an-hour to get an autorickshaw that was ready to ferry us, and during this period, we were snubbed by at least four drivers."

G Swami, a regular traveller to BKC, said, "These auto drivers are not even bothered about emergencies, all they want is money. In addition, they exhibit arrogance while talking to passengers."

Applauding MiD DAY's campaign, Ashish Pai said, "It's highly frustrating when these drivers refuse to travel short distances. MiD DAY has done a commendable job by initiating a campaigning against the rogue drivers."


Book him: A traffic inspector confronts a driver. pic/ Atul Kamble

Auto drivers speak
Farid Sher Ali Khan: "I was in a hurry to answer nature's call, hence I refused the passenger."
u00a0
Salman Ansari: "My left knee is injured and is bothering me a lot. Hence I said no to the passenger."

Mohan Narayan Kamble: "I had to go to Kurla, so it was obvious for me to refuse a Bandra fare."

Text: Vishakha Sonawane

Place: BARC Junction
Time: 5 pm-7 pm
Offender caught:u00a01
Commuter speaks
Francis Krishna Bhatia said, "It's been over 30 minutes since I've been waiting with my wife and my daughter for an auto. They both are so exhausted that they can't stand anymore."


Sign here: A cop penalises an auto driver. pic/nimesh dave

Auto driver speaks
Ramchandra Vadku Desle: "I don't take share fares. I ply passengers as per meter."

Text: Dimpy Thakker