After receiving several calls in appreciation of the district police’s initiative to take strict action against overcharging, Dehradun Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Arun Mohan Joshi has ordered that the city patrol unit or Cheetah police closest to the complainant should respond immediately.
Several commuters and local passengers who board roadways buses from ISBT and trains from Dehradun Railway station have complained that auto-rickshaws often charge more than the actual rate while going on a booking. They give excuses that they won’t find any passenger on their return journey and thus should be compensated. Some passengers also claim that upon bargaining when the passenger and auto-driver cannot come down on a reasonable sum, the auto drivers deny to take them to their destination.
This problem and auto drivers bullying passengers have increased in such a way that at majority of the times, if an auto driver has denied carrying a passenger the other drivers also deny them. Similarly, if one auto driver has offered to take a passenger from ISBT to Balawala at Rs 350, the others will also not bargain low. The bargaining situation is more difficult for tourists and students who are from outside the states.
It is pertinent to mention here that e-rickshaw drivers have also started overcharging. Some commuters have started complaining about it. However, e-rickshaw drivers in their defence say that they have not been provided any proper stand, nor their routes are yet made clear. More often than not they get into argument with auto-rickshaw drivers near Doon Chowk, as the auto drivers see them taking their passengers from the Doon Hospital Chowk. They also claimed that almost each day one or two of them gets issued challan for parking at a no-parking space or for any other traffic offence.