Commuting in auto and taxis in Delhi will be costly as the AAP government on Wednesday notified the new fares for auto and taxis. With the new measure, the minimum fare for the initial 1.5 kilometre for autorickshaws has been increased from Rs 25 to Rs 30, while the per kilometre charge afterwards has been hiked from Rs 9.50 to Rs 11. The revised rates came into force from January 9.
The Lieutenant Governor’s approved the proposal that was passed by the Delhi Government in October last year. The hike in fares will be applicable to black and yellow taxis and all autorickshaws.
There has been no increase in waiting charges and night charges for autorickshaws, while the charges for extra luggage have been hiked from Rs 7.50 to Rs 10.
For taxis, the existing charge for the first km was Rs 25 for both AC and non-AC types, which will go up to Rs 40. The per kilometre charge after metre down will increase to Rs 17 for non-AC and Rs 20 for AC taxis. Before the revision, they were Rs 14 for non-AC and Rs 16 for AC.
The 25 per cent night charges will remain unchanged. The waiting charge, which is currently Rs 30, will be charged by Re 1 per minute after 15 minutes stay. The extra luggage charge has been hiked from Rs 10 to Rs 15.
According to the notification issued by the Transport Department, in suppression of the notification issued in this behalf and in exercise of power conferred by Sub-Section (1) of Section 67 with Sub-Section (41) of Section 2 of Motor Vehicles Act 1988 (15 of 1988), “Delhi L-G issues the directions to the State Transport Authority of Delhi for the fare chargeable by the operators of Auto Rickshaw and Taxi (Black and Yellow Top) in the national capital,” it said.
The last revision in the auto-taxi fares was effected in 2020, while that for taxi, which includes black-and-yellow taxi, economy taxi and premium taxi, it happened nine years back in 2013.
The AAP-led Delhi government had sent the file for notifying revised autorickshaw and taxi fares in the national capital to Lieutenant Governor V K Saxena on December 17.
Delhi Transport Minister Kailash Gahlot had received many representations from autorickshaw and taxi associations and unions on the issue of fare hike. A committee of 13 members was formed in May last year to review and recommend the fare in the wake of increasing rate of CNG, cost and maintenance of autorickshaw and taxi, and various other issues, affecting the drivers’ net earnings.