Bengaluru residents will have to shell out more for their auto rickshaw rides from December 1 as the new increased auto rickshaw fares will be applicable from Wednesday. The Karnataka government had announced earlier this month that the fares have been hiked following demands by drivers as well as unions.
Now, as per the revised fares, the minimum fare for two kilometres will be Rs 30 and every consecutive kilometre will cost an additional Rs 15. Earlier, this rate used to be Rs 25 for the first 1.8 km and an additional Rs 13 for every additional kilometre.
Waiting time will be free for the first five minutes and Rs 5 will be chargeable for every 15 minutes after that. The notification also states that an additional charge of half of the fare on the meter on top of the actual fare can be charged between 10 pm to 5 am.
Additionally, passengers can carry up to 20 kg luggage for free and a charge of Rs 5 can be levied for additional luggage up to 20 kg. The total additional luggage that can be carried by the passenger is capped at 50 kg.
“The Bengaluru Regional Transport has considered the revision of auto rickshaw meter fares in detail and it is ordered that the revised prices shall come into effect from December 1 within Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) limits,” the notification on November 8 had stated.
In October, auto rickshaw drivers had demanded an increase in fares due to the present circumstances. The driving force behind the demand was the increase in the cost of essential commodities. The hike in auto rickshaw fares is the first one in the past eight years. The increase in the price of fuel has raised expenses for the auto rickshaw drivers as well, who had demanded an increase in fares to make up for their cost of living.