Two rupees has to be paid at the counter to get into a prepaid autorickshaw
The prepaid autorickshaw counter at the city central railway station. (Photo: Deccan Chronicle)
Bengaluru: The prepaid autorickshaw counter at the city central railway station, which was free when launched some years ago, has become a paid service unofficially. To get into a prepaid auto at the railway station, you have to pay Rs 2 at the counter, for which no receipt is issued. It is estimated that nearly Rs 50,000 is collected at this counter every day. Not even a signboard has been put up at the counter, informing passengers about the charges.
Mr Shrikanth Adiga, a regular passenger, said, “First, I was told that the counter staff are allowed to collect Re 1 from every passenger. But the prepaid auto receipt itself has a column showing Re 1 as the service fee that is part of the auto fare and has to be paid to the auto driver. In addition, the counter staff are collecting Rs 2 extra. A man, who looks like a bouncer, collects this amount,” he said.
“Prepaid auto counters in other parts of the city, launched by the traffic police, do not collect any fee. Even at the Delhi airport, prepaid services are free,” he said.
Ms Shrimathi Rao, a passenger from Mysore, complained that the counter at the railway station does not have a signboard or receipt for the Rs 2 paid. “Amount may be small, but thousands of passengers use the service every day, earning tens of thousands of rupees to the counter staff. The Railways can at least issue a token for the money collected,” he said.
“Also, just outside the railway station, tens of auto and taxi drivers offer to drop passengers, but the police or railways staff don’t seem to do anything. When there is a prepaid service available, how can the authorities allow some drivers to skip the arrangement,” she asked.
The prepaid autorickshaw counter at the city central railway station, which was free when launched some years ago, has become a paid service unofficially
To get into a prepaid auto at the railway station, you have to pay Rs 2 at the counter, for which no receipt is issued. It is estimated that nearly Rs 50,000 is collected at this counter every day
Not even a signboard has been put up at the counter, informing passengers about the charges.
Railway Superintendent of Police S.N. Siddaramappa said that he would look into the issue and act immediately.
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