Hyderabad: There is a surfeit of autorickshaws in the city, which is one of the prime reasons for traffic congestion.
Around 98,000 are permitted by the government in the core area of the city with a four-million population, but close to 1,50,000 ply in the urban areas, most of them entering from the city outskirts. About 20 per cent of Hyderabad’s population depends on autos.
A survey conducted by a city traffic organisation states that an autorickshaw driver travels 10 to 25 km without any customers, occupying road space.
Anant Maringant, CEO of Hyderabad Urban Labs, who has done a survey on autos said, “There is an increased demand for autos by drivers since it has become an occupation for many. This has also increased pressure from manufactures to put more autos on the roads.” He said oversupply of autos was caused by uneven distribution of resources. “Jobs, schools, hospitals and shopping centres are all scattered across the city. This results in more need for commuting. In the absence of proper public transit coverage, the number of trips increased,” he said.
“At a certain tipping point, that is when the number of trips goes beyond a certain point, the road becomes unsafe for pedestrians and smaller vehicles like bicycles and two wheelers and also increases congestion.”
Unlike, Kochi traffic department, Hyderabad’s motor vehicle department does not regulate the number of autorickshaws with city permits. As a result, autorickshaws from the suburbs venture into the city. Many drivers make a profit of up to Rs 2,000 daily, he said.
Another fallout of the over-supply of autorickshaws is their stands running out of space. Thus, more illegal stands set up by different trade unions began to pop up in even small junctions and road sides, hampering free movement of vehicles.
A senior officer with the traffic department said, “Registrations are dealt with by the RTA, but 90 per cent run with licenses. A few autos may be from outside the city that are not registered. The traffic department imposes heavy fines for wrong parking by autos.”
“Unlike Delhi, Mumbai and Chennai there is no system for yellow and black taxis following which apart from public transport, auto are in huge demand,” official added.
