Hyderabad: Due to the lack of action on the part of the authorities concerned autorickshaw drivers in Cyberabad are demanding higher fares, overloading passengers, hardly use the meter and behave rudely with passengers.
Overcrowded autos are a common sight in Cyberabad and metered autos are a rarity.
With companies like Ola and Uber expanding into the auto segment, the new trouble for commuters is the mode of payment. Techies complain that the auto driver cancels the trip because they opt to pay Ola money instead of cash.
A techie K. Ankit said, “I got an Ola auto but was asked to leave because I had chosen to pay through Ola Money. This is not the first time and is a recurring issue. They ask for the drop location, expected amount and type of money and then cancel it.”
Most of the drivers complain that they don’t make good money and ask passengers to pay without using the app for the same amount. Whenever a user raises a complaint, Ola acts on case to case basis.
“The per-kilometre charge is too high from the customer point of view in such apps. The auto drivers would laugh at us if we ask them to charge as per the meter. They give a random figure and it becomes a never ending ritual of bargaining. The RTO officials need to immediately take stock of the situation of the rates especially with autos,” said Y Mahendra resident of Nizampet
Another problem in the Madhapur and Hitec city area is overcrowded autos, especially share-autos that dominate the entire Cyberabad area.
The traffic and transport departments are accountable to see that autos follow the rules, but there is hardly any check.
