By IANS,
Mumbai : Autorickshaw fares were hiked with effect from Thursday in Mumbai and nearby Thane, with the possibility that taxi fares would also go up, a union leader said Tuesday.
While the minimum fare has gone up from Rs.9 to Rs.11 for the first 1.6 kilometers, every subsequent kilometre would cost Rs.6.50, up from Rs.5 now, Bombay Autorickshaw and Taximen’s Union president Sharad Rao said.
This would nearly offset the losses suffered by autorickshaw drivers on account of the hike in compressed natural gas (CNG) prices, Rao said, adding the new fares would help drivers earn around Rs.200 more a month.
The fare hike would affect 105,000 autorickshaws in Mumbai and another 35,000 in Thane district, said union general secretary Shashank Rao.
“However, this is an interim hike since we have demanded a minimum fare hike of Rs.15 at the base level. For this, a committee has been set up to examine the issue,” Shashank told IANS.
Even as the auto fare hike was announced, taxi unions were engaged in talks with the authorities for a fare increase.
The fares were hiked after a flash strike by thousands of autorickshaw drivers hit Mumbai hard.