Auto drivers are people who take us to the places we need to go. In recent times they are facing a lot of problems. They don’t have the luxury of getting salary every month. The lifestyle of the auto drivers is decided by the amount he earns at the end of the day. They have very basic expectations like ‘How much money do I earn in a day and Can I may pay my dues? It is enough if I get at least four rides today!’ Some days their wishes are fulfilled and in some days their expectations turns into disappointments.
The problems faced by them prompted us to meet the auto drivers in our city. Low meter rates, entry of corporate players in the auto rental market are all part of the problems. When speaking about the problems faced by the auto drivers, general secretary of CITU auto drivers union and president of all auto union federation Sukumaran said, “There are more than 15000 auto drivers in Coimbatore. 15000 thousand families of the drivers are dependent on their income.”
Meter Charges
“Auto drivers do not oppose the implementation of the meter charges. We want the government to fix auto charges in a way that does not impact our livelihood. As per the government’s orders we have to collect Rs.12.50 per km. We have to charge only Rs. 25 for 1.8 kms. How can an auto driver survive with this income? Coimbatore is not like Chennai. We don’t have customers from other states or countries.”
“Local people are the only customer base for the auto drivers. They also do not use auto very often. If the auto drivers charge less for the one or two customers they get, they have to operate at a loss.”
Problems faced by the auto drivers:
“We are fighting for minimum charges of Rs.20 per kilometre that is Rs.40 for a distance of 1.8kms and withdrawal of the current auto charges fixed by the government. Corporates entered this business at the same time. Auto drivers get a maximum of 3 to 4 rides in day. On some days they don’t even get as many rides. This situation has not changed since we came into this profession. The corporate companies are able purchase many autos and operate in the market. They also fix a target of up to Rs. 1500 in a day for their drivers. They attract customers using latest technologies like internet and also spend heavily on advertisements. This has an impact on the independent auto drivers.”
What is the solution?
“As per the orders of the Chennai high court the auto charges should be revised once on two years. But the charges have not been revised since four years. As the petrol charges are revised twice every month the auto charges are not revised accordingly which places us in a precarious situation.”
“Government should immediately revise the auto charges and implement it. They should consult the auto driver unions and fix the charges. The auto drivers need not worry about the entry of corporate companies if they get a proper income. If everyone is following a uniform tariff people will prefer our autos instead of corporate companies.” he said.
Government can save thousands of families from poverty if it fixes a charges that does not impact the livelihood of the auto drivers.
The problems faced by them prompted us to meet the auto drivers in our city. Low meter rates, entry of corporate players in the auto rental market are all part of the problems. When speaking about the problems faced by the auto drivers, general secretary of CITU auto drivers union and president of all auto union federation Sukumaran said, “There are more than 15000 auto drivers in Coimbatore. 15000 thousand families of the drivers are dependent on their income.”
Meter Charges
“Auto drivers do not oppose the implementation of the meter charges. We want the government to fix auto charges in a way that does not impact our livelihood. As per the government’s orders we have to collect Rs.12.50 per km. We have to charge only Rs. 25 for 1.8 kms. How can an auto driver survive with this income? Coimbatore is not like Chennai. We don’t have customers from other states or countries.”
“Local people are the only customer base for the auto drivers. They also do not use auto very often. If the auto drivers charge less for the one or two customers they get, they have to operate at a loss.”
Problems faced by the auto drivers:
“We are fighting for minimum charges of Rs.20 per kilometre that is Rs.40 for a distance of 1.8kms and withdrawal of the current auto charges fixed by the government. Corporates entered this business at the same time. Auto drivers get a maximum of 3 to 4 rides in day. On some days they don’t even get as many rides. This situation has not changed since we came into this profession. The corporate companies are able purchase many autos and operate in the market. They also fix a target of up to Rs. 1500 in a day for their drivers. They attract customers using latest technologies like internet and also spend heavily on advertisements. This has an impact on the independent auto drivers.”
What is the solution?
“As per the orders of the Chennai high court the auto charges should be revised once on two years. But the charges have not been revised since four years. As the petrol charges are revised twice every month the auto charges are not revised accordingly which places us in a precarious situation.”
“Government should immediately revise the auto charges and implement it. They should consult the auto driver unions and fix the charges. The auto drivers need not worry about the entry of corporate companies if they get a proper income. If everyone is following a uniform tariff people will prefer our autos instead of corporate companies.” he said.
Government can save thousands of families from poverty if it fixes a charges that does not impact the livelihood of the auto drivers.