Will auto fare revision bear any meaning?

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Shahiduzzaman Khan
The government raised the CNG-run auto-rickshaw fares that would come into effect from January next year. The revised fare for the first two kilometres, according to reports, has been increased from Tk 14 to Tk 25, while Tk 7.0 will be charged for each subsequent kilometre, which was previously Tk 6.0. Moreover, Tk 1.25 will be charged in lieu of Tk 1.0 for midway intermissions.
A meeting held in the communications Ministry last week and attended by the high government officials, auto-rickshaw owners and drivers took the fare-hike decision. Time limit for setting the fare indicator meters has been fixed -- not later than December 31, 2010.
The fact remains that most drivers and passengers have long forgotten the government-fixed rates as they have become used to paying and collecting higher farewithout reading meters. The passengers do not dare to ask for meter riding as the drivers never agree to such requests. Most of the metres are faulty and out-dated. They are never checked regularly by the relevant authorities. Passengers complain of harassment in fixing deals with the drivers as the latter demand prohibitive fares. For only a kilometre journey, they charge a minimum amount of Tk 100 or more.
According to the previous directive of the government issued in 2008, the minimum fare was fixed at Tk 18 for first two kilometres and the CNG auto-rickshaw drivers were ordered to take trips wherever the passengers want. But such a directive fell flat. The drivers seldom pay heed to the government order and the helpless passengers have to negotiate exorbitant fares for their trips. On most occasions, drivers do hardly agrees to journeys to and from, places that the passengers do want.
CNG drivers have some points to defend their position. They say the owners collect higher daily deposits from them. Although the present government fixed the daily deposit at Tk 450, drivers have to pay the owners Tk 600 and beyond. Even, reports say, day rent realised by the CNG-run auto-rickshaw owners run as high as Tk 1,000. There are other issues as well. Traffic congestion eats up their valuable time and the drivers lose much on their fuel. Long queues in front of the CNG filling stations are another issue that kills their trip-time. Six-hour daily shutdown at the CNG pumps has added to their woes. Over and above, the number of CNG auto-rickshaws in the city is too meagre as compared to the ever-increasing demand. The inclination of charging higher fares, it appears, will not change unless the number of auto-rickshaws is increased and traffic congestion problem is solved.
Reports say there are around 13,000 auto-rickshaws in the city and those are run by 30,000 drivers. Nearly 70,000 drivers were rendered jobless when the government prohibited petrol-run auto-rickshaws from plying city roads in 2002. As the number of drivers is on rise, they have to compete for getting hold of the vehicles, even if its means paying higher deposits. The 'greedy' owners ask for higher deposits which the drivers are compelled to give. There is a rule that if they owners charge higher deposit than the government-fixed one, disciplinary action will be taken against them. But the drivers do hardly ever lodge complaint for fear of losing their vehicles. Usually they lie about their actual deposit money when they are asked by the law enforcing agencies.
On their part, auto-rickshaw owners complain of exorbitant prices of vehicles and their spare parts, rising prices of essentials etc., for which they charge higher amount of deposits from the drivers. But most of them say they do not charge more money than the government-fixed one. However, the drivers often contest such claim.
In this backdrop, the wisdom of raising fare of CNG-driven auto-rickshaw bears no logic when all have forgotten journeys through meter-reading. No agencies are seen enforcing the rule excepting some sporadic drives by the mobile courts. When most of the countries around the globe boast of a harmonious growth of their transport system, Bangladesh lags far behind in bringing discipline in the sector. Even Kolkata, which was dogged by chaotic traffic management even some years ago, has effectively restored discipline in its transport system now. Taxis and auto-rickshaws there are bound to go by meters. Traffic police keeps a constant vigil on the movement of the vehicles.
There are a host of traffic management rules that the country had framed. But the problem lies in their implementation. Traffic violation is a continuous hazard. With the number of vehicles on the city streets swelling, the plights of the citizens continue to mount. Added to this, availability of CNG-run auto-rickshaw is scarce on the city roads. There is no immediate plan of the government to import such vehicles on a large scale. Private entrepreneurs should take the lead and import these vehicles in order to ease the city's chronic transport problem.
The government has again warned that harsh legal actions would be taken against drivers and CNG auto-rickshaw owners for violating the fare rates or harassing passengers. In such cases, the driver's licence and the vehicle owner's registration might be cancelled. Last time in 2002, it was the same warning the government had issued. Nothing really happened and, no warning worked. Will such warning be implemented into action this time?
It is to be seen how the fare indicator meters are reset and the tripartite agreement between the owner, drivers and the government is signed in just two months' time and the authorities take it as a challenge to implement in its totality. szkhan@dhaka.net