Auto-rickshaw drivers in Dhaka again overcharging passengers

Commuters in Dhaka had thought that with the introduction of meters, after fares of three-wheelers were revised last month, things would change for the better.

But the relief was short-lived as auto-rickshaw drivers have quickly reverted to their old ways of overcharging passengers, showing no regard to the directives of the Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA).

Their excuse for charging higher rates than shown in the meter is that they need to pay higher rent to the auto-rickshaw owners than the amount fixed by the government.

Adil Hossain, who works at a private firm in Mohakhali, shared with bdnews24.com his recent experience of travelling in an auto.

“On Thursday, I was trying to get an auto-rickshaw to go to Paltan from my workplace. A driver demanded Tk 200 for the ride.

“I asked him whether he wouldn’t charge according to the meter. He immediately said no. Other auto-rickshaw drivers did the same.”

“In the end I had no alternative but to pay Tk 200. The [legal] fare would not have been more than Tk 120 even with the usual traffic congestions on the road,” said a visibly-annoyed Hossain.

School teacher Sharmin Nahar often takes three-wheelers to commute between her home in Mohammadpur and her workplace in Tejgaon.

“It is very common for them to charge Tk 20-30 more than the actual fare displayed on the meter. Sometimes the meters do not even work properly.

“At times, the meters are switched off in the middle of the journey. And the drivers are reluctant to use the meters during office hours,” she said.

CNG-run auto-rickshaws replaced the two-stroke scooters, or Baby Taxis as they were commonly known, in the capital in January 2003.

For the first few years, passengers were charged as per the meter-readings. But after that the drivers again started charging arbitrarily.

Against this backdrop, the government last month hiked the fares from Tk 25 to Tk 40 for the first two kilometres and from Tk 7.64 to Tk 12 for the following kilometres.

It was also decided that auto-rickshaw drivers would pay the vehicle owners a rent of Tk 900 per day instead of the previously charged Tk 600.

Asked why they were still charging more than the stipulated rate, auto-rickshaw driver ‘Mostafa’ said, “The meter-dictated fares are not enough for us. So I charge Tk 10-20 extra.”

On keeping the meters off, he said, “I do not know about the others. But I turn mine off only after 10pm.”

Zakir Hossain, general secretary of the CNG-run auto-rickshaw workers’ association, blamed the owners for the overcharging.

“None of the owners comply with the government directives. They take Tk 1000-1400 per day from the drivers.”

Dhaka Metropolitan CNG-run Auto-Rickshaw Owners’ Association does nothing about it, even though it had earlier promised to follow the rates set by the government.

After fares were revised last month, MH Iqbal, general secretary of the platform, had told bdnews24.com, “If any owner charges more than the stipulated rate from the driver, we will take action against them.”

When contacted, BRTA Director (Enforcement) Bijoy Bhushan Paul said, “There have been longstanding irregularities in this sector. We are trying to fix them.”

“We are conducting mobile courts. The BRTA is doing everything possible. But it is not possible to bring about a change overnight.”