Irrespective of which part of the nation you belong to, you know the struggle of getting an autorickshaw. I mean I have been rejected fewer times at job interviews than I have been by ‘auto walas’. It’s quite a task to convince auto drivers to do their job and drop you to your desired location without overcharging you.
But traffic police in Bengaluru have now come up with the perfect plan to catch such culprits. According to Deccan Herald, the cops in Bengaluru went on a crackdown against errant autorickshaw drivers who refused to ply on metered fares or denied rides to certain locations.
To catch offenders in the act, officials posed as regular passengers in prime junctions and asked to be dropped at various locations in the city. In total, more than 5,200 drivers were fined for violations such as refusing to ply to certain destinations, demanding more fare and also for not having valid or improper documents. Many others were also fined for not wearing uniforms, not displaying driver details in the vehicle, among others.
Joint commissioner of police (traffic) BR Ravikantegowda said the drive was conducted following an increase in complaints against auto drivers, reports TOI. However, not every auto driver flouted rules. The traffic police came across some good ones too.
“Unfortunately, the number of such good drivers is less. In Ulsoor, we came across a 70-year-old driver who, without even asking anything, agreed to take us to our destination. We asked him how much he would charge till Sadashivnagar. He said the meter will show it.” an officer was quoted by TOI.
As the auto driver was doing his job right, police officers revealed their true identity. The old man just told the cops to keep regular checks on errant drivers. The overall fine collected from this crackdown was Rs 8,06,200.
Bengaluru traffic cops have upped their game when it comes to ensuring public comfort and safety. From deploying mannequins to keep traffic in check to filling potholes, they are going out of their way to come up with viable solutions to traffic-related issues. Kudos to them for all the hard work and effort.