Pune: Commuters have alleged that several autorickshaw drivers in the city are already charging fares according to the revised tariff, even though the new rates will come into effect on Sept 1.The Regional Transport Authority has approved the revised fare structure wherein passengers will be charged Rs30 for the first 1.5km and Rs20 for every subsequent kilometre. Commuters said many drivers were misleading passengers by saying the new fares were already in force and then calculating and demanding higher amounts arbitrarily.Fatimanagar resident and working professional Kartik Yadav said he was charged Rs210 for a trip to Koregaon Park last week, although the meter showed Rs154. “The driver said fares had increased. I could not understand his calculation because the fare should have been around Rs180 even under the revised tariff. He refused to listen and forced me to pay,” he said.Vimannagar resident and bank employee Vinod Ahire said a driver had charged him Rs245 for a trip to Shivajinagar, while the meter showed Rs190. “I know the new fares come into effect on Sept 1. Why are drivers already charging higher? He did not tell me in the beginning of the trip. He created a scene when I objected. I was with my wife and had no option but to pay,” he said.Citizens alleged that drivers operating through aggregator applications were also demanding amounts over and above the fares displayed on the apps.Kothrud resident Neeti Patil said a driver demanded Rs320 for a trip to Pune airport even though the app showed Rs260. “He said the general fares had increased. I tried explaining the calculation, but he did not listen. Eventually, I cancelled the trip and took another autorickshaw,” she said.People said some drivers were using the pretext of refuelling CNG to demand additional money. Kondhwa resident Shamshad Naazir Shaikh, a call centre employee, said an aggregator showed a fare of Rs220 for his trip to JM Road. The meter showed Rs237, which he agreed to pay. However, the driver started to demand Rs265 at the destination, claiming that stopping for CNG would cost him three to four hours of working time. A heated argument ensued and Shaikh said he refused to pay the additional amount, threatening to call the police.Working professional Rishi Kumar, who had gone to Amanora Mall with his family on Sunday, said, “I approached an autorickshaw driver for my return trip and he quoted a fare of Rs450 till Bibvewadi. I had paid Rs220 for our commute to the mall. The driver said additional charges were because fares had increased and filling CNG was time consuming. When I tried to reason, he just snapped and started to shout at me. It took me half an hour to find another autorickshaw.”Similar was the case with Camp resident Medha Ladke who approached an autorickshaw driver to go to Bavdhan. “He quoted a fare of Rs600 saying fares had increased. He refused to explain how he had calculated the tariff. I booked another autorickshaw via an aggregator who called to say that apart from going by the meter, I will have to pay Rs60 extra. Autorickshaw drivers have become extremely rude and they know that authorities won’t act against them,” the teacher said.Shivajinagar resident Amol Deshpande tried his luck to hail many an auto at the Pune railway station last week, but failed. “They all quoted unreal fares giving excuses about time wastage because of CNG refilling, among others things. Why don’t the authorities take a tough stand against them?” he said.However, Pune RTO officials said they had not received any major complaints regarding drivers charging the revised fares prematurely. “People may be facing such issues, but no one has approached us. We will taken action if that happens. Also, our inspectors are conducting random checks in the city,” an official said.President of Baghtoy Rickshawala Union Keshav Kshirsagar said overcharging was unacceptable, but unions could not control every driver. “We tell our members repeatedly to not fleece passengers. But the RTO needs to take strict action against those violating rules,” he added.
