Rues auto driver Shekhar who has driver-passenger separation screen, handwash and hand-sanitiser in his auto

Mysore/Mysuru: Even weeks after auto-rickshaws were allowed to ply on the roads, most of the auto-rickshaw drivers are complaining that there are no takers for the ride at all.

Lack of work has worried Shekhar, an auto-rickshaw driver from Agrahara, who said, “I have taken all necessary precautionary measures to prevent spread of infection. I have kept hand wash liquid and sanitiser in my auto-rickshaw. Between the driver and passengers, there is a plastic screen now as a safety precaution. If passengers are not wearing masks, I frankly insist them to wear one. Otherwise, they will not be allowed to sit in the passenger seat. I also ask them to clean their hands with hand wash, which I have kept in my auto. I always use sanitisers before and after a ride to clean the seats and the screen separating the passenger and driver. But now a days, there are hardly any passengers.”

“Lockdown period was very tough for us as authorities did not allow autos to ply on the roads. There does not seem to be any respite from this pandemic, as day-by-day number of infected persons is increasing. Even after spending whole day in an auto stand, hardly we are able to earn Rs. 100 per day. If this situation continues, it would be very difficult to run our family,” he said.

“I have adopted all safety measures in both my autos. I would like to advise other auto-rickshaw drivers to follow these precautionary measures. I hope the situation will improve in the near future,” he said.