Fare of radio taxis, autos to go up 20%

Fare of radio taxis, autos to go up 20%

 CHANDIGARH: City residents will have to shell out more for travelling in radio taxis and autorickshaws. Giving into the long-standing demands of cab and autorickshaw operators and keeping in mind the hike in diesel and LPG rates, UT administration has approved a 20% increase in their fares. Currently fixed at Rs 15 flat for every km, the new rates for radio cabs are likely to be Rs 18. The auto fare would go up from Rs 10 to Rs 12 in a few days. The new tariff, approved by senior officials, has been sent to the UT administrator for final approval.

A senior administration official told TOI that though fares in Mumbai, Delhi and Punjab had gone up tremendously, they had decided not to burden the city commuters too much.

'During the last meeting, we decided that cab and auto rates must be increased by 20% as the same have not been revised for a long time. While radio autos have already been charging 25% higher for night commuting in the city, we have thinking of doing the same for cabs as well. However, UT will take the final call soon,' the official added.

However, twin radio cab operators ' Mega Cabs and Tricity Tours and Travels ' had requested UT to raise fares from Rs 15 per km to Rs 50 for first 2.5 km and Rs 20 for every subsequent km on the pattern of Delhi and neighbouring Punjab. Similarly, for radio autos, operators have demanded Rs 45 for the first 2.5 km and Rs 12 for the subsequent ones.

Manager of Tricity Tours and Travels H S Maan said, 'With ever-increasing rates of diesel and LPG over the years, it has not been possible to continue with the same rates.'

However, UT officials insist that they are not likely to introduce such a drastic increase. 'We have to take care of commuters too,' an official said.

 The Times of India  
 Jul 4, 2011, 04.28am IST