🚗 Autos Stop Using Meters, Fares Double

Yesterday evening I took an auto from Tolichowki to Mehdipatnam, which is about five kilometres on a normal day. Three drivers refused the meter before I even finished saying the destination, and the fourth quoted 250 rupees. The same ride used to cost me around 110 when I started working here two years ago. I stood at the stop near the flyover for ten minutes, watching other people just hand over the money. I ended up opening the cab app, and the fare showed 148 rupees with a pickup time of seven minutes. The cab driver told me most of his trips there come from people who gave up on autos on that stretch. He also said the meters are still fixed on the dashboards, they just never get switched on anymore. Strange thing is nobody argues now, people sigh, pay up, and get down at their lane. I looked up the fare chart afterwards, and the minimum for the first 1.6 kilometres is supposed to be 30 rupees. There is a number printed inside most autos for complaints, but mine had the sticker half scratched off. I tried calling the one I could read and it rang for a full minute before cutting itself off. Then I spent twenty more minutes searching for where a regular person would file this, and found nothing clear. Today I walked to the same stop at the same hour, mostly out of stubbornness, and counted the autos going by. Eleven passed in twenty minutes. Two stopped, one asked 200, and the other wanted 180 plus waiting charges. A girl next to me with a laptop bag was already booking a bike taxi, which at least shows a price upfront. I took the bus in the end, 12 rupees, 35 minutes, standing the whole way, and reached home calmer than expected. I am not asking anyone to boycott autos, plenty of drivers here still run the meter and I always thank them. But the gap between the printed fare and the real one has grown so wide it feels like another system. If the meter rule exists on paper, I would like to know who checks it, and how often. For now my plan is simple: bus when I have time, cab when I do not, auto only with a meter.

I’ve faced the same issue in Hyderabad, especially on busy routes. The frustrating part is that people have slowly accepted inflated fares because arguing takes more time than paying. ₹250 for a five-kilometre ride is ridiculous when the official fare is much lower. Meter autos should be properly enforced.