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Bengaluru’s expenses will increase as the cost of travel is predicted to worsen with BMTC and Metro fares increasing, and auto-rickshaw fares rising with them.

Proposed adjustments suggest increasing the minimum auto-rickshaw fare from Rs 30 to 40 for the first two kilometers, as well as raising the price of each subsequent kilometer by 5 rupees to 20.

Sahil Bagla, Deputy commissioner of Police (Traffic-East) Bengaluru, chaired a meeting involving KS Soundarya, RTO (Auto-rickshaw permits), Jayanagar RTO S Mallesh, and representatives from around 15 driver unions to discuss increasing the auto-rickshaw fare took place on March 12. 2023.

"A majority of driver unions presented their issues. We have asked them to file their claims for the next week so that they may be put in writing and dealt with. There are so many other issues which the subcommittee is looking into. After studying these questions, we have to prepare the report for the Deputy commissioner. He will take the decisions from this stage,” he told the Moneycontrol.

The last fare increase occurred in December 202. The drivers claim that the current fares are not achievable because of the increasing prices of LPG, daily expenditure, and maintenance.

While associations such as the Adarsha Auto Taxi Drivers’ Union and the Auto Rickshaw Drivers’ Union endorse the fare increase, the Karnataka Chalakara Okkuta and the Peace Auto Union are not in favor, claiming that raising fares may result in fewer passengers. They emphasized that cab fares on aggregator apps tend to be lower in off-peak times. They are concerned a fare increase would exacerbate decreases in user numbers, particularly with the implementation of the Shakti free bus plan.

At the same time, passengers have expressed frustrations with auto drivers who do not adhere to meter rates, overcharge, or do not offer to provide the service. This suggests that the price of aggregator platforms like Uber, Ola, and Rapido will be going up as well.