Dakshina Kannada Deputy Commissioner H.V. Darshan speaks at a meeting in Mangaluru on Thursday.
| Photo Credit: H.S. MANJUNATH
Autorickshaw unions in Dakshina Kannada district on Thursday urged the Regional Transport Authority (RTA) to revise fares upwards, from ₹35 to ₹50 as the minimum fare for the first 1.5 km and from ₹17 to ₹30 for every subsequent kilometre, in view of the steep increase in input costs, including fuel, since the last revision in 2022.Dakshina Kannada Deputy Commissioner and RTA Chairman H.V. Darshan convened a meeting to hear the demands of autorickshaw drivers for a fare revision.Arun Kumar of the Karnataka Rakshana Vedike-affiliated Auto Drivers’ Association said the upward revision was necessary in view of the steep increase in the prices of LPG, CNG, petrol and diesel over the past four years, as well as other inputs. He also demanded that the free waiting time be reduced from the present 15 minutes to 10 minutes.Dakshina Kannada Auto Drivers’ Association president Vishnumurthy also suggested limiting the free waiting period to 10 minutes and increasing the waiting charge to ₹5 per minute.
Mr. Darshan said a suitable decision would be taken after a scientific study of the demands.
