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A menace more than a service
The prepaid autorickshaw service at Secunderabad Railway Station is as good as absent. Started in 2011 with three booths and much fanfare, the service today is a far cry from the past. Of the three booths, just one is functional and passengers who alight at the station have to wait for atleast 30-40 minutes to get a prepaid auto.
PERPAID AUTOS AT SECUNDERABAD RLY STN
The prepaid autorickshaw service at Secunderabad Railway Station is as good as absent. Started in 2011 with three booths and much fanfare, the service today is a far cry from the past. Of the three booths, just one is functional and passengers who alight at the station have to wait for atleast 30-40 minutes to get a prepaid auto.
Starting from 4:45 am with the Narsapur Express touching down Secunderabad Station, there are trains that come in a gap of just 15 minutes. In fact, about 3,000 passengers touch down at Secunderabad between 4:30 am and 5 am. After 10 pm, there is Patna Express, Intercity and Dharbhanga at 11 pm.
With just one booth functioning, passengers are left stranded and fleeced by auto drivers. Ramakanth, a passenger shared his experience, “I came to the city on June 12 and had to shell out Rs 220 whereas the normal fare would be just about Rs 140. I tried my luck at the prepaid booth but there was too much rush and I just wanted to get back home.”
While the prepaid auto service is a huge success in other cities, it has just not taken off in Hyderabad. K Venkat Reddy, traffic inspector, Mahankali Traffic Police, said, “The contractor stopped the two booths stating that it was not viable and that the number of trips per day is just between 700-1,200 even if one booth functioned or three.”
According to sources, the contractor is disinterested as the money he receives per token is Rs 2 less in comparison to the amount he shells out to the government as part of the contract. About 80,000 passengers land at the Secunderabad Station every day but the number of autos at the booth is negligible.
Also many auto drivers enter the railway station and directly take passengers to their autos which are outside the station. Anil Nair, a regular traveller, says, “If someone comes to the city after 11 pm they are done for. There are no rules and all the auto drivers gang up. Not only half return, they charge two to three times the meter.”
C Chandrashekar, organising secretary, Telangana Auto State Union, says, “It is true that there are problems but not all auto drivers fleece customers. There is a need to streamline the service and also extend it to Kacheguda and Nampally stations as well.”
Women who travel alone no longer feel safe as the dial your complaint number 1074 is no longer available. Instead a mobile number is being given to the passenger. M Dayananad, organising secretary, Telangana State Auto & Trolley Drivers Union says, “There should be a common number as women will not feel safe.
The system has failed and there is a need to go back to the drawing table and make it effective as is the case in Bengaluru, Pune, Chennai and other cities.”
By:T P Venu
