New Delhi: Committtee to submit report demanding hike in auto, taxi fares

The Delhi government is likely to revise fares of auto rickshaws and yellow-black taxis in the national capital next month.

The four-member fare-fixation committee consisting of officials of Delhi Transport Department will submit its report to the government on fare revision soon. The fares had been last revised by the then Sheila Dikshit government in May 2013. "The four-member committee is in the process of finalising its recommendations. However, the final decision on whether fares would be increased will be taken by Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal," a senior government official said.

As Delhi Transport Minister Gopal Rai is currently in Chennai for physiotherapy following a surgical procedure, the committee will submit its report to the minister when he return to the national capital. At present, the base fare for autos is Rs 25 for the first two kilometres, while for every subsequent kilometre travellers have to pay Rs 8.

Those choosing yellow-black taxis for travel have to pay Rs 25 for the first kilometre. The charges for every subsequent kilometre is Rs 14 for non-AC taxis and Rs 16 for AC taxis.

There are currently about 80,000 autorickshaws and 12,000 yellow-black taxis plying on the capital's roads.

Rajendra Soni, general secretary of Delhi Autorickshaw Sangh and Delhi Pradesh Taxi Union, said since May 2013, there has been an increase in prices of CNG, spare parts, insurance and cost of labour. "We have been demanding revision in fares of autos and kali-peeli taxis for a long time. If the government doesn't want to increase fares, it should then give us a subsidy of Rs 6 on per kg of CNG," Soni said.