Travelling by autorickshaw can be costlier compared to other modes of city transports like bus and metro. And when it comes to a city like Bengalurur, infamous for its traffic woes, the fares can skyrocket. In one such case, a CEO of a Mumbai-based company was shocked to know that auto drivers in Bengaluru do not charge fares according to the meters installed in their vehicles.
Mandar Natekar, co-founder and CEO of NeuralGarage, took to social media to share his experience of how he was charged Rs 100 for a mere 500-meter ride. Natekar posted a photo featuring the auto meter of the vehicle he travelled in and wrote, "In this photo you will see the most ornamental thing in Bengaluru. The great Auto Meter. So expensive that it never gets used. I just paid 100Rs for a 500 mtrs ride. To give perspective, in Mumbai 100Rs is the meter fare for approx 9 kms."
He also called his experience a "peak Bengaluru" moment.
Twitter users could very well relate to the incident and took the comments box of the post to share their experiences.
Vijay Koshy, president, TVF, commented, ''It's practically the same for every city outside Mumbai. Chennai is notorious for its auto rides.''
To this, Natekar replied by saying ''It is ridiculous, to say the least, but seems like this highway robbery is not legit. No one bothers.''
"Count your blessings. Most of the time, they don't wish to go anywhere," wrote a second user.
Very few cities have auto-meter fare system. Mumbai and Palakkad are only two cities I am aware of. Nothing can be done either.
"He did not charge for Distance..Due to traffic, The Petrol and time to cover 500meter in Banglore is same as 9km in Mumbai," wrote a fourth."