New Delhi: You will have to shell out
more for travelling in autos and taxis in the national capital
with Delhi Government today hiking the fares for both modes of
transport following increase in CNG prices.
Making the announcement, Transport Minister Arvinder
Singh Lovely said the minimum fare for autos will be increased
from current Rs 10 (first one Km) to Rs 19 (for first two
kms). Subsequently, per km fare after the first two km will be
Rs 6.50 instead of current Rs 4.50.
Lovely said apart from hike in CNG prices, the annual
maintenance cost of autos has gone gone up by 70 per cent in
last four years while the CNG prices have gone by 66 per cent
during this period.
The last auto fare hike was effected in 2007.
Government has made it mandatory that all the autos will have
to install Global Positioning System (GPS) within next six
months, failing which permission will be cancelled.
He said government will monitor the autos through GPS
and ensure that they run on meters and do not harass
commuters.
Lovely said the minimum fare for yellow and black
taxis will go up from Rs 15 to Rs 20 for first one km while
the rate will be Rs 11 instead of current Rs 8.50 for
subsequent kilometre.
He said government will launch a new non-AC taxi
service in which there will be flat rate of Rs 10 per
kilometre.
The government`s move comes after autorickshaw unions
threatened to go on a strike after the Centre decided to hike
the CNG rate.
They had been contending that since the price of the
natural gas has been hiked five times in the past one year,
they need a hike in the fare structure too.
The CNG rate in Delhi has gone up by Rs 5.60 per kg -
from Rs 21.90 to Rs 27.50 per kg.
Officials of the Transport department held a meeting
with the auto rickshaw unions to finalise the fare structure
and also told them to make sure that auto drivers comply with
metres after the fare hike.
Auto fares hiked after flash strike in Mumbai
Auto rickshaw fares were hiked with effect from Thursday in Mumbai and nearby Thane, with the possibility that taxi fares would also go up, a union leader said Tuesday.
While the minimum fare has gone up from Rs.9 to Rs.11 for the first 1.6 kilometers, every subsequent kilometre would cost Rs.6.50, up from Rs.5 now, Bombay Autorickshaw and Taximen`s Union president Sharad Rao said.
This would nearly offset the losses suffered by autorickshaw drivers on account of the hike in compressed natural gas (CNG) prices, Rao said, adding the new fares would help drivers earn around Rs.200 more a month.
The fare hike would affect 105,000 autorickshaws in Mumbai and another 35,000 in Thane district, said union general secretary Shashank Rao.
"However, this is an interim hike since we have demanded a minimum fare hike of Rs.15 at the base level. For this, a committee has been set up to examine the issue," Shashank said.
Even as the auto fare hike was announced, taxi unions were engaged in talks with the authorities for a fare increase.
The fares were hiked after a flash strike by thousands of autorickshaw drivers hit Mumbai hard.
With Agency Inputs
