Pre-paid autos at Metro stations likely from next month, to ease commuter woes

BENGALURU: It’s not uncommon for Metro passengers to haggle with autorickshaw drivers over the fare to their destination. The Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Ltd (BMRCL) now plans to address this last-mile connectivity issue by introducing pre-paid autorickshaw services at Metro stations.

Metro commuters often face issues like auto drivers refusing to go to the destination or demanding higher fares outside the stations. The problem is more acute along Kanakapura Road and Metro commuters have already brought the issue to the notice of the traffic police.

The matter was discussed at a recent meeting with the BMRCL authorities and it was proposed to introduce pre-paid auto services for the benefit of Metro commuters and other local residents.

BMRCL MD Anjum Pervez said they have written to Joint Commissioner of Police (Traffic), B R Ravikanthe Gowda. “The plan may take effect by this month itself or by September 15. Some places have already been identified for this. We will finalise everything in about a week”, he said.

The plan seems to have got the nod from the police department too and may help in reducing last-mile connectivity problems for Metro commuters to a large extent.