Pune: Maya Kurela, a middle-aged bank employee, fell off her two-wheeler last week as her vehicle skidded due to a sudden, sharp turn by an autorickshaw driver in Salisbury Park.”The driver, a young man, abruptly turned to the other side of the road without considering traffic. I shouted at him, but he just glanced and drove away. Luckily, I was wearing a helmet and escaped with minor injuries,” she said.Shefali Motiwaala recounted a similar incident – an auto ahead of her suddenly stopped and tried to turn across the road on a slope in the NIBM Annexe area recently. “I had to brake hard to avoid a collision. When I confronted him, he rudely told me to leave. Before anyone could react, he sped away. I didn’t pursue him to avoid trouble,” the student said.Like Kurela and Motiwaala, many commuters are increasingly flagging the rash and erratic driving by a growing number of young auto drivers, typically aged between 25 and 45, across the city, raising safety concerns.Despite the state transport department halting the open permit system for autos from March 9, the city continues to face an abundance of supply. This has intensified competition among drivers, often resulting in reckless driving and frequent violations of traffic rules as they scramble for passengers. On Friday, one such driver reportedly crashed into a CCTV camera pole in Maliknagar in Kondhwa while driving rashly, sustaining injuries.Maharashtra has over 10.1 lakh registered autorickshaws. Of these, around 1.44 lakh fall under the Pune RTO jurisdiction, and approximately 51,400 operate under the Pimpri Chinchwad RTO. Commuters say the large number of vehicles has contributed to aggressive driving patterns.Mahesh Ranade, a govt employee from Viman Nagar, said many drivers appear desperate. “They keep stopping abruptly whenever they spot potential passengers, causing inconvenience and danger to others. Sudden turns without checking traffic are common. When confronted, some respond with intimidating behavior,” he said.Romesh Sadaan from Koregaon Park had similar concerns. “Drivers often crowd certain areas, especially towards Kalyaninagar, leading to daily traffic jams. They argue among themselves for passengers and sometimes harass commuters. When asked to move, they respond aggressively,” he said.Sumit Jadhav, a resident of Lohegaon, highlighted chaos near Pune airport. “During evenings and nights, autorickshaw drivers crowd the area, often troubling arriving passengers by pulling luggage and creating disorder on airport roads,” he said.Autorickshaw union representatives acknowledged the issue but pointed to declining passenger numbers as a contributing factor.Keshav Kshirsagar, president of Baghtoy Rickshawaala union, and Nitin Pawar, general secretary of Rickshaw Panchayat, said that while the open permit system has been suspended, its impact continues. “Many vehicle owners rent out autos without proper background checks. While that’s a concern, misbehaviour and creating chaos cannot be justified. Authorities need to step in,” Kshirsagar said.A senior RTO official said enforcement drives were conducted regularly. “Traffic police also take action, but given the sheer number of autos, it is difficult to monitor them all. We are planning a larger, focused drive to address the issue,” the official said.
