One-man army takes on fleecing autowallahs

Commuters, near City Railway Station, are at the receiving end of auto drivers ever ready to fleece them. But Monday morning was different.

If first impression is the last impression, then those who come to Bangalore, especially early mornings, and have to depend on autorickshaw for commuting, will have a poor opinion of the city.

On Monday, at 4.30 am, with the temperature hovering at 15 degrees in Majestic area, it was like any other winter day: Auto drivers waiting with relish for their prey. The difference on this nippy day was a sub-inspector from Upparpet Police station who took it up on himself to, well, make a difference.

The cop, Shivaswamy, took guard near City Railway Station and KSRTC bus stand, stopped every auto he found not metered down and ferrying passengers. His three-hour vigil fetched him 19 violators, as the word spread among auto drivers in the vicinity of his solo campaign in and around the City Railway Station/Majestic area.

Whenever he found an auto in the wrong, he would immediately call a constable over on the phone and seize the vehicle which the driver has to get possession of again after paying the penalty at the court. The surprise drive found bizarre rates being charged: In one case, an auto driver charged Rs 50 to ferry a businessman from Chennai from Anand Rao Circle to Bell Hotel, less than a kilometre.

Shivaswamy ensured the passengers of the autos were not left stranded, by finding alternative autos for them, and giving them his mobile number to call, to ensure they were not cheated again.

Unfortunately, even some passengers did not fully back the sub-inspector. A passenger told Bangalore Mirror, ”The auto drivers take us around the city and finally drop us to the place we have asked for. Instead of coughing up hefty sums and wasting time going round and round, it is better to talk to them about what they want and get into the autos.”

This passenger could be an aberration in a city where most commuters would only hope for many more Shivaswamys round the clock.

The charge against overcharge

Passengers blamed

Police caught an auto ferrying a single woman without turning on the meter. It was plying on the road between the BMTC and KSRTC bus stand. When stopped, the driver tried to blame the passenger. Shivaswamy switched on a digital camera and asked the customer to explain what happened. The lady, Shailaja, told the police that she is new to the city. The auto driver asked her to pay Rs 70 for taking her from Malleshwaram to the Railway Station. Finally, he agreed to ferry her for Rs 50. The police calculated the fare would be Rs 30 rather than Rs 50. She was directed to take the subway to the railway station. She said, “I was shocked when the police stopped me, but realised that they were actually helping me. If police everywhere help passengers, auto drivers will not harass us.”

Rs 70 for walkable distance

Another auto was stopped in which passenger Shivram, a 26-year-old businessman from Trichy, was travelling. He said, “I came to meet a vendor. The auto driver asked me to pay Rs 70 from Anand Rao circle to Bell Hotel.” The distance is walkable and at the most, the driver could have collected the minimum amount of Rs 25.

The auto driver Shivu was not carrying any documents. He was booked for overcharging and driving without valid documents. His auto was taken to Upparpet traffic police station. Shivram said, “I don’t know how much it would cost for the distance. This is the first time I am coming to Bangalore. I realised I am being cheated when police stopped the auto.”

Didn’t realise time

At Shanthala Circle, Shivaswamy found an autorickshaw without the meter turned on, carrying a passenger. The auto driver had charged Rs 220 to bring the passenger to Majestic from Hebbal. The passenger, Varun Kumar, said, “I work for a private firm in the city. I am from Puttur. When I asked the driver to take me to Majestic, he demanded Rs 250 and I agreed to pay him Rs 220.

Auto driver Jagadeesha said, “I did not realise that the time is 6am now, so I charged him one-and-half.” But his story did not convince the police. The auto was seized. The driver was even found driving without displaying his identity card in the auto.

Just across the road

Another auto driver, Arul Das, had charged Rs 50 to passengers who wanted to go to Shantala Circle from KSRTC bus stand. Once again, it was just across the road. The family said they were from Kolar. They had gone to Dharmastala and were on their way back to Kolar. Though Shantala circle is next to KSRTC bus stand, the driver took the family on a ride across Gandhinagar before dropping them at Shantala Circle.

Wrong direction

Sreeraj from UP works in a private firm in the city. He was travelling from Majestic to Koramangala and was asked to pay Rs 130 by the driver, who had refused to turn on the meter. When police caught him at Majestic, the driver was found to be taking the passenger in the wrong direction. He had kept his display card near the tools compartment rather than in front of the passenger seat. Sreeraj said, “I regularly take auto from Anand Rao circle to Koramangala. The auto drivers take us around the city if we prefer metered fare. So when the auto driver asked me for Rs 150, I brought it down to Rs 130.” The auto was seized by the police for excess fare and for not displaying the identity card. Police arranged another auto for Sreeraj.

Escape attempt

In another incident, when an autorickshaw driver was asked to stop by Shivaswamy at Gandhinagar, the driver managed to escape. Shivaswamy chased the driver Anand and caught the auto (KA02 AB4363) near Shantala Circle. Two passengers who were in the auto were put in another auto as they had to catch a train at the City Railway Station. The auto driver, a resident of KP Agrahara, was fined for reckless driving, driving without licence, demanding excess fare, driving without display card and without uniform.

WRITE TO US: If you face any issue with auto drivers, write to us with subject line as ‘Auto Problem’ at bmfeedback@gmail.com. We will take it up with the authorities.

source: http://www.bangaloremirror.com / Bangalore Mirror / Home> Bangalore> Cover Story / by Chaitanya Swamy HM , Bangalore Mirror Bureau / December 24th, 2013

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