Soon, Noida residents to pay auto-rickshaw drivers as per meters, arbitrary fares to end

Auto-rickshaws without meters will not be allowed to ply on Noida and Greater Noida roads in a bid by the Gautam Buddh Nagar transport department to stop them from charging arbitrary fares from passengers, officials said. Besides meter, fitness certificate will also be mandatory for auto-rickshaws to ply in the twin-cities of the western Uttar Pradesh district adjoining Delhi, they said.

The directives for this had come last week during a meeting chaired by District Magistrate Suhas L Yathiraj in which Assistant Regional Transport Officer (Administration) A K Pandey, ARTO (Enforcement) Prashant Tiwari, among others, were also present. On May 13, a meeting was called in at the ARTO office with Auto Union president Lal Babu and other office-bearers of their association to discuss the issue, Pandey said.

"During the meeting, it was discussed that the operation of auto-rickshaws without meters would be prohibited. There will be a ban on auto-rickshaws that do not have fitness certificates and auto-rickshaws charging arbitrary fares from passengers in the district have to be stopped," the officer said.

"After the discussion, union officials and drivers demanded a week's time and it was assured that within a week the faulty meters would be rectified and those with expired fitness certificates will get it from the ARTO office," Pandey said.

Along with this, the auto drivers who are charging arbitrary fare from the passengers will be alerted about stopping this practice, he said.

The transport department expected cooperation from the Auto Union but in the event of failure to comply with the instructions, necessary legal action would be taken against erring auto-rickshaws and their drivers or owners with support of the police, the ARTO said.

According to transport department officials, it is mandatory for auto-rickshaws to have meters and have uniformity in charges, like it happens in Delhi. However, over the years, the meter has gone out of practice despite no government order allowing auto-rickshaws to do so, an official told PTI.