Thane: Thane transport department has flagged off a prepaid auto facility for commuters from the railway station Monday, which promises to ensure confirmed auto rides to passengers without the worry of facing blunt refusals or getting fleeced by overcharging fares.The facility will be operational from under the Satis where a dedicated office has been made operational where commuters will have to approach and provide their destination and make necessary payments. A message will be relayed to the registered auto driver in the queue who will pick up the passenger without any communication over fares or destination, eliminating any usual conflict points, said BJP MLC Niranjan Davkhare and MLA Sanjay Kelkar who thanked Transport minister Pratap Sarnaik for granting immediate approval to the initiative.Deputy RTO, Thane, Rohit Katkar said the proposal was under consideration for the last two years and finally the department got approval following several administrative and technical challenges. It may be recalled that fare refusals, especially on short-distance routes, are one of the most common complaints made by passengers.“Since auto drivers rely on their daily income, necessary changes were made to the system after seeking approval from the transport authority, due to which the amount will be transferred to their account before the day ends. A roughly 20% premium will be charged to passenger and will be passed on to the driver as an incentive to encourage more to latch on to the concept,” he said.Passengers will know the fixed fare before beginning their journey, thereby eliminating uncertainty regarding fares. This will prevent potential disputes between passengers and auto drivers over fares or travel-related matters. The service will provide a safer, more orderly and transparent auto service from Thane railway station to start with. The entire service will be planned and managed through Cityflo, said Davkhare.Around 100 drivers have already subscribed to the facility in Thane and the administration expects more to join and widen the ambit based on its popularity. It may be recalled that a similar facility was implemented in Thane and even at LTT a few years back following the gruesome assault and murder of a female techie at LTT but got discontinued due to several reasons.
