Editorial
CNG auto service woes
It is still a messy affair
It is extremely frustrating to learn that, despite several attempts by the authorities concerned to install meters on the CNG 3-wheelers and secure compliance by the drivers they remain as defiant as ever. The last attempt to introduce meter too has met with little success, to put it politely. All this, because of the arbitrariness of the auto drivers and owners, let alone, enforcement failure.
In every city of the world taxis are the only mode of transport after public buses. But in our case, the picture is more or less the opposite. The availability of the cabs is scarce and the city buses are always full to the edge making it difficult for majority of the commuters to board those. Taxis as a mode of transport has virtually failed us. Short of it, the CNG driven 3-wheelers could fill the void provided, its fare did not skyrocket and the drivers not being whimsical in denying passengers the service at their sweet will. Instead of being expedient, the 3-wheelers have turned out to be fleecing machines.
Following the replacement of environmentally hazardous 2-stroke engines driven autos by 4 stroke engine years ago, with meters installed in them, the latter have been tampered with.
The reluctance to accept metered fares continues to this day. For instance, in the latest case of upward revision of fares with mandatory meter installation this has run into difficulties.
The crux of the matter is that with each increase in fare the owners inflate the deposit rate. As a result, the benefit that is aimed to accrue to the drivers does not land in their pocket. Consequently they charge more from the commuters. In other words, the passengers are sandwiched between the owner's appetite for profit and the drivers' exploitation of fare increase to their advantage.
Let the stake holders be brought into an interface with each other under the supervision of the Transport Ministry and a cost effective as well as consumer friendly and remunerative formula be arrived at for all concerned.
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