RTA nod for prepaid auto system at railway station

Though the system was implemented on an experimental basis in the past, it was discontinued after it failed to attract commuters. During this period, commuters were charged 30 per cent incentive on basic fare.

Now, the RTA has reduced the incentive to 20 per cent but added Rs 5 as service charge per trip. "We realised that 30 per cent incentive was costly, resulting in poor response from commuters. Keeping commuters in mind, the RTA revised the fare structure and made it more reasonable," Regional Transport Officer Arun Yeola.

All prepared for prepaid: Autorickshaws at the traffic police booth at the Pune railway station. The system was introduced in the past on an experimental basis, but was discontinued after it failed to attract customers. Now a new fare system has been worked out where 20 per cent incentive and Rs 5 service charge will be levied. File pic

The RTA officials appointed a private agency to handle the entire system. Identity cards will be given to auto drivers who will be a part of the system and their details will be complied and saved in an electronic format using the software designed by the agency.

The traffic police and railway administration have welcomed the move and the latter even given permission to use its premises for the project.

"Many times autorickshaw drivers refuse to ply short distances. But the incentive system will be beneficial for the auto-rickshaw drivers. From commuters' point of view, they'll feel safe while travelling in an auto because the driver's information will be stored using a software," Yeola said.

Implementation of a similar system was proposed at the airport, but the plot of land that was selected for the purpose is is disputed, and discussions with the Rickshaw Panchayat and the airport are on. u00a0