Few days after the Mahanagar Gas Limited (MGL) has increased the price of CNG, the autorickshaw unions demanded a hike, while taxi unions are yet to discuss the same with their members.
The auto unions are demanding an increase in the basic fare for the first one and a half kilometers from ₹23 to ₹25. After that for every kilometer, they are asking to increase the rate from ₹15.33 to ₹16.9.
According to autorickshaw associations, the CNG price hike will result in a daily loss of ₹130-150 to drivers. Consumer Price Index has also increased along with other expenses.
Autorickshaws have to pay for gas and this increase in fare will hit the pocket of the drivers. Hence there is a need to revise and increase the autorickshaw fare, said union leader Thampi Kurian.
Taxi unions said they too want a hike in the base fare from ₹28 to ₹30, but will hold further discussions with members before making a final demand. Taxi union leader Prem Singh said, “The reality is that costs have been increasing over the years."
The unions will soon send an official statement with their proposal to the transport department. Sources in the regional transport office said any proposal for a fare hike goes to the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Transport Authority (MMRTA), which holds several meetings to study whether the reasons given are valid.
The MMRTA had hiked autorickshaw and taxi fares by ₹2 and ₹3 respectively in October 2022. The minimum fare for auto and taxi has increased from ₹21 to ₹23 and ₹25 to ₹28 respectively.
On July 8, MGL announced that CNG prices in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR) will increase from ₹73.50/kg to ₹75/kg. This rate has increased in effect to the demand for rise in CNG vehicles in the past few years. The MMR has more than one million CNG vehicles registered, including 400,000 autorickshaws, 500,000 private cars, 2,400 buses and 70,000 taxis.