Although the flow of auto-rickshaws in Mumbai have been partially hit during the coronavirus related lockdowns and restrictions, the city just witnessed the number of auto-rickshaws surge to 2 lakh earlier this week.
Despite this development, auto-rickshaw union leaders said on Wednesday that the daily earnings of many drivers are still below 40 per cent of the pre-lockdown period. Mumbai currently has 2.32 lakh auto-rickshaws registered with the State Transport Department.
Read - BMC To Conduct COVID-19 Testing For Auto-Rickshaw And Taxi Drivers
Unions added that there has been a 300 per cent increase in the number of autos from the last eight months, and a 33 per cent increase from four months ago.
Leader of the Mumbai Autorickshawmen’s Union, Shashank Rao said, “The drivers are plying autos to make ends meet. The daily earnings have dropped from Rs 1,000 to Rs 500-600. With overhead costs and inflation, they are finding it difficult to run families.”
While he acknowledged that there are more autos plying on the streets, he said the number of passengers is somewhat low. Rao put this down to the fact that local trains aren’t accessible for all, and also the COVID-19 related restrictions in some parts of the city. The fact that shared auto services aren’t permitted during the pandemic is also proving to be a hindrance for drivers.
“Several people are affected by the pandemic and do not have the money to spend on autos and taxis and if it is a short distance, they prefer to walk it down,” Thampy Kurien of the Mumbai Rickshawmen's Association said.
Kurien added that although there were over two lakh autos on the roads, they are facing parking related problems.
“The traffic police catch them for parking on road or in no-parking zones. We are meeting transport minister Anil Parab with a petition to demand parking slots for autos in the suburbs” he said.
People familiar with the matter said that the rise in taxi and auto fares by ₹3 has also led to hesitancy from the commuters in using these modes of transport.
Also read - Maharashtra Government To Provide Financial Assistance Of INR 1,500 To Licensed Auto-Rickshaw Drivers
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