Noida autos ride 40% higher than Delhi

While movie ticket prices are 40% cheaper here, auto drivers charge 40% more in Noida than in Delhi; the reasons range from the toll ka charge (toll tax) to their 'cut' of the earnings, to even mehengai (inflation).
Have you ever wondered why it is that you end up shelling out more for an auto ride in Noida than in Delhi? Besides not running on meters, they even quote a beyond reasonable fare for a small distance.We travelled across various locations in Delhi and Noida, covering approximately the same distance to figure out how much an auto ride from location A to B, both in Delhi and Noida, will cost you. And we found that moving around in Noida doesn't come cheap. If you travel a similar distance in Delhi, you will be spending much less as compared to what you spend on this side of the toll.
We tried to gauge how much more it is that people are paying, and it turns out that auto rides in Delhi are approximately 30-40% cheaper. We spoke to a few autowallahs, in an attempt to find out the reason why they charge so much, and some of the reasons turned out to be more absurd than the fares themselves!


Toll ka twist
Ramesh Yadav has been driving an auto in the city for a couple of years. His reason for charging more? Adding toll charges to the auto fare! "Madam, humara Noida mein zyada paisa maangne ka ek bada kaaran hai. Aadhe se zyada duniya hamare sheher main toll ke us paar se aati hai, Dilli se. Isiliye, jab hum kisi se sheher main kahin bhi jaane ka paisa maangte hain, hum usmein toll ka paisa pehle hi jod lete hain. Waise bhi toll ka paisa toh aapko dena hi hai na, toh hum pehle hi zyaada karke maang lete hain," he says. When asked how he figures out whether a passenger travelling in his auto is a Delhiite or from Noida itself, he says, "Kya farak padta hai. Humein paise se matlab hai. Aur aisa toh hai nai ki idhar ka aadmi toll ke us paar nai jaata. Hum bas yehi samajh lete hain ki woh toll border ke us paar se hi aaya hai, and humara paisa banana toh phir banta hai."
Cut ka chakkar
Along this weird line of reasoning, we also came across Ravi Sharma, who has been driving an auto for more than a decade now. He gave us some perspective on why autowallahs are majboor to hike the prices. He shares, "Sarkaar ne kabhi meter chaalu nahi hone diya. Company se jab hum auto khareedtey hain toh usmein meter pehle se hi laga hota hai. Par sarkaar ne us meter se paise kamane ki chaabi abhi tak nahi di. Delhi mein badiya hai, koi hera pheri nahi. Yahan hamara nuksaan zyada hai. Hum thodi si doori tak jaane ka Rs 50 lete hain toh logon ko chubhta hai. Par koi yeh nai dekhta ki yahan meters nahi chalte. Savaari kabhi kabhi humein 10-15km door chalne ko kehti hai, aur agar humara meter se Rs 200 ban raha ho, phir bhi woh humein Rs 150-170 se zyada nahi deti."
"Hum bhi Rs 150-200 se zyada kya hi maange kisi se? Zyada doori par jaana hamara nuksaan hai, hum andaaze se paise maangte hain. Isiliye, thodi door ke liye, jaise Metro Station ya mall tak le jaane ke liye hum savaari se Rs 50-70 maang lete hai. Is se hamara cut nikal jata hai," adds Ravi.
Mehngaai ka zamaana hai
Ganesh Sharma, a 60-year-old auto driver, predictably blames the higher fares on mehengai. "Humein daam badhane ko koi shauk nai hai. Lekin jab sarkaar koi madad nahi karti, woh bhi aaj ke zamaane mai, jaahan petrol ki keematein aasman chhoo rahi hain. Daam bada kar hi yahan, is sheher main guzaara ho sakta hai, nahin toh hum log kaha se is mehngaai ki bharpaai karenge," he says.
Our monthly commuting budgets get doubled: Commuters
Manavi Sood*, 27, works as a media consultant in Film City, Noida Sector 16A. Based out of Delhi, Manavi frequently travels in autos in both the cities. She shares, "It's more like paying double the price in Noida for an auto ride. My previous office was in ITO, and I stay in Amar colony. Each day, travelling from Amar colony to ITO by auto used to cost me Rs 70." However, now an autowallah charges her Rs 50 from Sector 18 Metro station to Film City. "Noida autowallahs charge absurdly high prices, 2km se kam ke distance mein Delhi mein Rs 25 bante hain. Yahan meter toh hai hi nahin, and same distance toh Rs 50 se neeche koi charge karta hi nahi hai. There are times when I am stuck in office till late hours, and with no option left at that time to reach home safely and quickly, I quite often take an auto. Half my salary is drained in commuting, due to unnecessary charges by Noida autowallahs. These guys work in unison and it's really heavy on the pockets of people like us, who have to juggle between both the cities everyday. It's exhausting."
Anirudh Mishra, 29, works with a PR firm in sector 2D and stays in GK-1, in Delhi. He shares, "The autowallahas in Noida make it extremely difficult for working class people like us to maintain our budget and monthly expenses. They charge like crazy. I stay in Pamposh Enclave, GK-1, and to go till M block market, which is hardly 2-3 minutes away from my residence, I pay Rs 30 maximum! And in Noida, I get down at Sector 15 Metro station and take an auto till my office, which is a stone's throw away. No autowallah till date has charged me less than Rs 50 for covering a distance of merely a kilometre! It's unfair. My daily fare rises by another 100 bucks, if I have to take an auto till the Metro in the morning and evening. A distance which does not even merit more than 50 bucks in totality, costs me double. And by the end of the month, it's is a loss if Rs 1,500, whereas it would have been only Rs 700-750 as per Delhi meter prices. At least Delhi autowallahas do not give you a tough time always when it comes to charging fares, they do charge as per meter readings mostly."
Vikas Mohanty, 35, works with an advertising firm in Sector 62 and stays in Kalkaji in Delhi. He shares, "It's absurd, but then people like us who are dependent on the autowallahas feel that beggars can't be choosers. I personally prefer to pay more for an auto ride and reduce my travel time to a minimum. Noida se Delhi auto mein aana is like emptying your pockets! Autowallahas know ki hum logon ke paas alternative nahi hota, and across border, to take us to Delhi, they charge exorbitantly high. Us same price mein toh main Delhi mein do chakkar kaat kar ghar waapis bhi aa jaun!"
* Some names have been changed