Bad news for Bengaluru residents, commute to get costlier as auto fares increases from..., know revised prices

Bengaluru residents will now have to embrace expensive auto rides from next month. The Regional Transport Authority of Bangalore Urban District on Monday announced a hike in the minimum auto rickshaw fare. According to the notification issued by the authority, the fare is valid within the limits of Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike. The new fare will come into effect from August 1.

New auto prices

The authority has raised the prices from the current Rs 30 to Rs 36 for the first 2 kms. The notice also says that after the first 2 km for every kilometre Rs 18 will be charged. The night fare, to be charged between 10 pm and 5 am, will be 1.5 times more than the normal fare. The authority also said auto meters should be re-verified and stamped and should display the revised fares on the meters by Oct. 31.

The authority has left waiting charges and passenger baggage fares mainly unchanged. Only the first five minutes of waiting is free with Rs 10 added for every 15 minutes of extra waiting. In the case of passenger baggage, anything up to 20 kg is free and beyond that every kg would be charged with Rs 10 and the baggage should not be more than 50 kg. In case the drivers don't follow the new fares, it won't help commuters with the revised charges, and this would trigger fear among them regarding charging unfairly by refusing to use new meters.

The revision of auto fairs had come after the auto drivers had long been demanding a hike in prices. The demand had stemmed from rising fuel costs, general inflation, and increased living expenses. The last revision to auto fares in the city was made in 2021.