Delhi auto rickshaw fare hiked; commuters to pay Rs 1.5 per km more

Commuters travelling in auto rickshaws in Delhi will have to shell out more from Tuesday as the State Transport Authority (STA) has issued a notification implementing an 18.75-percent increase on existing rates. This comes just a few months before the Delhi Assembly elections. The move will impact owners and drivers of over 90,000 auto-rickshaws plying in the city, which had played a major role in the rise of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in the capital city.

"It is for the information of general public and Auto Rickshaw operators that with immediate effect, the revised fare for Auto Rickshaw in the National Capital Territory of Delhi are as under..." the STA said in its official notification, stating the revised fares.

As per the notification issued on Monday, the metre down charge will be Rs 25 for the first 1.5 km, instead of existing 2 kilometres. The per km charge, however, has been increased from existing Rs 8 to Rs 9.5, making it a hike of around 18.75%.

According to an official, " fare meters of auto-rickshaw will be re-calibrated to calculate the new fare and it will take around 1.5 months and till then, they will charge the fare as per the new fare structure", India Today reported.

Last week, the Delhi Transport department had also issued a separate notification on the new auto-rickshaw fare structure in the National capital.

As per reports, the government has also introduced a waiting charge at the rate of Rs 0.75 per minute if an auto-rickshaw is caught up at a traffic signal.

(Edited by: Nehal Solanki)

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