Autos Vs bike taxis: Let the public choose their vehicle

Sir,

Reading the news item titled  ‘Auto drivers assault bike taxi passenger’ in SOM dated Jan.24 reminded me of my childhood days in the 1960s  and early 1970s.

In those days, the very Railway Station, where the above incident happened, used to be full of horse-drawn tongas. We would bargain with the tongawallah for a long time and strike a bargain to reach home.

 But then the auto made its presence. Now, for the same fare, one could reach home faster.

The number of autos increased quickly. The tongawallahs gradually vanished from the streets. Maybe they took to other vocations.

But one big change had arrived in the city. It looks like the autowallahs are facing the same situation as the tongawallahs did then. But there is more to it than that. It is a question of fairness, of being exploited,  of one’s safety.

Now, I have used the bike taxis and even cabs that come to the very door to pick one up. I find the bike taxis very convenient when I am alone, especially when I have less luggage.

They are faster and cheaper. They are also more polite than the autowallahs. I also find that sometimes cabs are actually less expensive than the autos themselves.

The commute is more comfortable and one can carry more luggage too. Now, don’t the public have the right to choose which vehicle to hire?

The prepaid counters set up by the authorities don’t function often. These autowallahs tend to exploit the situation by demanding higher fares than normal. No one uses the mandatory meter now. No one has faith in it also because it used to be manipulated by the majority of them.

The Rapido and other Online apps come as a big advantage because the fares are fixed and notified in advance. Also, there is another advantage.

The movement of the vehicle can be monitored by the anxious parents from home. They know the number of the vehicle in which their daughter is travelling, even the name of the driver. 

It is for these very reasons why I request the Police to take action on those autowallahs who come in the way of the passengers and the vehicles that operate on online apps.

– P.L. Jothindra, Ramakrishnanagar, 25.1.2026

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