According to the recent notification issue on Monday, the metre down charge will be Rs. 25 for the very first km, instead of existing 2 kilometers. With a hike of around 18.75%, the per km charge has been increased from existing Rs. 8 to Rs 9.5, making it quite expensive.
Now, more commuters will now opt for auto rickshaws in Delhi from Tuesday as a notification has been issued implementing an 18.75- percent increase on existing rates by the State Transport Authority [STA]. This news came just a few months before the Delhi Assembly elections.
This will impact a large population of owners and drivers of auto rickshaws plying in the city, which had played a very crucial role in the rising of the Aam Aadmi Party [AAP] in the capital city.
‘It is for the information of the general public and Auto Rickshaw operators that with immediate effect, the revised fare for auto rickshaw in the National Capital Territory of Delhi are as under…’ the STA said in its official notification, stating the revised fares.
An official said that the fare meters of auto-rickshaw will be re-calibrated to calculate the new fare and it will take around 1.5 months and till then, fare will be charged as per new fare structure.
The Delhi Transport department had also issued a separate notification last week on the new fare structure of the auto rickshaw in Delhi.
Also, a waiting charge at the rate of Rs 0.75 per minute is also introduced by the government if an auto – rickshaw is caught up at a traffic signal.
~Rakshita Aggarwal
