In a welcoming news for Mumbaikars, the Regional Transport Offices (RTOs) have started a WhatsApp service to address complaints against errant taxi and autorickshaw drivers directly from commuters.
On July 11, Wadala RTO launched a 'Rickshaw/Taxi Complaint Helpline Number' – 9152240303 - where people can register complaints. Andheri and Borivali RTOs are in the process of launching similar services.
Wadala RTO has jurisdiction over vehicles registered under MH-03 number between Kurla to Mulund. Meanwhile, the Andheri RTO covers the area from Bandra to Jogeshwari/Goregaon, with vehicles registered under MH-02. The Borivali RTO registers vehicles under MH-47 and covers the area from Goregaon to Dahisar.
Citizens can just share their complaint on WhatsApp with vehicle number, place and time with photo. As soon as the complaint is registered, necessary action will be taken after thorough investigation.
On the very first day of launch, Wadala RTO received two complaints on his email id mh03autotaxicomplaint@gmail.com and one on his WhatsApp number. These complaints include refusal to move and improperly parked vehicles.
The RTOs are set to create a bank of locations from where a high volume of complaints is received, and it is expected that a large number of grievances will be against ‘shared’ auto rickshaws.
Other complaints which officers expect to receive are of drivers who refuse to go by the meter, those who rig their meters and those who carry more passengers than permissible on a fare-share basis.
Citizens can also file complaints against drivers working with aggregator cab services like Ola and Uber.
It is pertinent to note that the Tardeo RTO saw 1,192 such cases till June 2023. It started this similar initiative in September 2022 for taxis registered under MH-01. They have solved 215 cases already, issued show cause notices to 977 drivers and collected fines amounting to over INR 8.32 lakh. There are still 581 cases pending.
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