The battle between the local auto and taxi services against online cab providers like Ola and Uber have escalated even further since its launch. In states like Goa and Delhi, the protesters even burnt the aggregator’s cabs to force them out of the transport network.
So will there be a solution shortly or will this battle rage on forever?
We spoke to commuters and drivers to reflect the ground realty of this issue:
While some passengers said that a local auto is preferable at times of emergencies, other opined that they overcharge and are expensive. One of the drivers said that the lack of demand leads them to charge few bucks over the meter.
“The local auto drivers are very demanding. The lamest excuse they give is ‘return ka bhada nahi milta’ so they take the returning charges as well,” shares Sheetal Kalwani.
First, they make it a point that we do not get an auto from the nearest stand, then they overcharge us with such excuses. What are we then supposed to do when there are no vehicles available on the online transportation network but surrender to their demands and get yourself robbed, Sheetal adds.
Ram Das Mukhi, a local auto driver speaks about his own experience. “It is without doubt that since the invasion of these online taxi service our business has seen a setback.
Earlier I used to have at least seven trips in a day which significantly reduced to two or three. Also, since the online taxi charge less, our earning gets affected too, auto-driver Mukhi adds.
The online cab service providers in October last year were dealt a blow from the local taxi unions which told them to stop their ‘outgoing services’ within the Lonavala Municipal Council limits in the city. This meant that they could bring in passengers but could not pick for any outstation trip which might lead to stopping the service in the city, according to reports.
When I visited Pune for the first time, I hired the local auto to travel from Swargate ST bus stand to MIT college, Kothrud, where my sister used to live. I was getting late hence I opted for the local transport rather than booking an Ola. When he dropped me at the location, I was charged Rs 300, that too according to the meter.
On checking on the Ola app, the estimated cost came to Rs 110 only. This is the state of affairs and then these people complain that they are not getting enough business,” cribs Ramandeep Singh.
With local autos registering with online apps, things have even got worse. “They never accept Ola money or Paytm and often refuse the trip, asking for cash only. After my booking got confirmed and the auto arrived, he first asked me ‘cash payment hai na?’.
Since I do not carry much cash, he drove me to an ATM which was 3 km away from my regular route and then drove me to my drop location. Also, some of them do not even prefer going with the meter and just offer us the anticipated charges and wants us to believe that,” says Ridhima Pandit.
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#All views expressed in this article are those of the individual respondents and Pune365 does not necessarily subscribe to them.
Reach her at loveleen@pune365.com or tweet @KaurKaur18
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