Auto drivers welcome fare hike after 13 years

Madurai: Welcoming the Tamil Nadu government’s decision to hike auto-rickshaw fares after a 13-year hiatus, auto drivers in Madurai expressed relief on Wednesday, stating the move will end daily altercations with passengers over pricing.

The state government recently issued an order fixing the minimum fare at Rs 50 for the first 1.8 km and Rs 25 for every subsequent kilometre. Drivers noted that the revision comes after long-standing protests and negotiations by trade unions, including the CITU. The previous fares, which were last set in 2013, stood at a minimum of Rs 25 for 1.8 km and Rs 12 for every additional kilometre.

“The hike will help avoid conflicts and unnecessary bargaining between drivers and customers, ensuring a fair price for both,” Suresh Kumar, an auto driver from the Alangulam stand, told PTI Videos.

Drivers pointed out that skyrocketing prices of essential commodities, alongside steep hikes in fuel, RTO fees, and insurance, had severely impacted their livelihoods, making the old meter rates impossible to sustain. While thanking the TVK-led government for the fare revision, the auto workers urged the administration to regulate the state’s free bus travel scheme for women, citing severe passenger drops and losses to their daily income.

Drivers suggested restricting the free travel scheme to economically weaker sections rather than extending it to high-earning government employees. Additionally, Kanagavel, district treasurer of the CITU auto union, appealed to the government for an annual subsidy of Rs 10,000 for fitness certificate (FC) renewals, drawing a parallel to a Rs 15,000 subsidy currently provided to auto drivers in neighbouring Andhra Pradesh.

The union also requested the state government to issue a Deepavali festival bonus of Rs 5,000 per driver through the unorganised workers’ welfare board.

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