Fresh rules for new autorickshaws in Gurugram: No fare meters, no registrations

The regional transport authority of Gurugram has stopped the registration of new autorickshaws without fare meters installed, officials announced on Wednesday.

This will help enforce the administrative decision to get all vehicles in the district to have a fare meter by June 30. Any auto found operating without a meter would be impounded from July 1.

About 12,000 to 14,000 autorickshaws are to be fitted with fare meters in Gurugram.

The move will aid passengers in paying a standardised fare, instead of paying disparate amounts.

“Documents of old rickshaws are also not being renewed until they are installing fare meters after certification from the weight and measurement department authorities,” said Ravinder Yadav, Regional Transport Authority (RTO) (Gurugram).

A meeting with the state-level autorickshaw drivers’ union, scheduled to be held in a day or two, will speed up the process.

According to inspector Deepak Hooda, legal metrology (weights and measures), many auto owners and drivers have started turning up for installing meters and getting them certified afterwards.

“This happened only after the RTA stopped registration, and renewal of vehicles. On Tuesday and Wednesday, 37 and 19 meters were installed for newly purchased autos, and certified,” he said.

“Only 58 rickshaw owners turned up in January this year for fare meter certification followed by 53 in February, 110 in March and 45 in April in comparison to 56 within just two days,” Hooda added.

According to him, it was decided in a recent meeting with deputy commissioner Nishant Kumar Yadav to get meters installed on hired rickshaws running in new Gurugram.

Certain officials said that senior authorities need to mount pressure on autorickshaw owners, or else the installation process may take even up to two years.

According to the Gurugram Deputy Commissioner, teams will be formed to impound autos running without fare meters. “We had a few meetings with the union, and they have been asked to comply,” he said.

The DC said that the union had demanded an increase in rates ( ₹25 for first the kilometre, instead of ₹12, and ₹15 for onward journey, instead of ₹8) which had been fixed by the Haryana government almost four years ago

“A recommendation would be sent to the state government to increase the fare. It’s low in comparison to the fare in other parts of the National Capital Region including Delhi,” he said.

The autorickshaw union’s general secretary, Yogesh Sharma, said that they are ready to comply with the order as it would benefit commuters, as well as drivers.

“Operating according to meter rates would get rid of several hassles. However, we are waiting for a fare hike by the government. CNG prices are higher in Gurugram, and it is frequently increasing,” Yadav said, accepting that no auto rickshaw driver in Gurugram charges standard rates.

Naushad Khan, an autorickshaw driver installed a meter, but said didn’t charge standard rates. “I don’t know about any circulars on meters. No one runs autorickshaws here on fare meter rates,” he said.

Autorickshaws are popular among commuters as they provide the last mile connectivity in absence of a citywide public transport network.

Loveleen Gupta, a resident of Ardee city, said, “Commuting in rickshaws in Gurugram is expensive as they charge exorbitantly. Meters must be made mandatory.”

According to Prateek Pandey, resident, it cost him ₹150 to travel to Ardee city from Vatika city (8kms) in an autorickshaw on Tuesday. “App-based taxi service would have charged ₹90 for the same distance,” he said.