The Karnataka government is looking forward to enabling shared autorickshaw services near core transit stations in Bengaluru. The decision comes in after sighting transportation dilemmas near busy areas within the city.
Shared autorickshaw services
Share auto services will be a great method in resolving the city’s last-mile connectivity problems. This method will give commuter relief as the city whose roads are especially suffocated all the time.
“Allow shared autorickshaw services to and from mass transit stations to reduce vehicles and pool trips moving in the same direction.” read a statement released by Infrastructure Development Corporation (Karnataka) Limited.
Many areas in Bengaluru already have informal shared auto services. In these services, each passenger is charged a minimum of Rs 10 for a ride. Daily-wage workers normally depend on these services as they are affordable and have a better rotation than BMTC buses and stop anywhere along the route.
Not yet practice in Bengaluru
Shared autos are most popular in cities like Chennai, New Delhi, and Jaipur. Earlier Bengaluru authorities also stepped in bringing the idea into the city, however, the concept was opposed in Bengaluru by BMTC itself, fearing revenue loss. One more reason why it’s not too accepted could be the fact that the city-bus connectivity is excellent in Bengaluru, and the best one can see in India.
Despite all these, many app-based aggregators operate car-pooling services like Ola Share, UberPool, Quick Ride, Sride, RideAlly, and BlaBlaCar.
BMTC buses are the only transport that takes exclusive stage-carriage permit rights in the city and has the right to pick up and drop passengers at various locations. However, the transport service is also finding it difficult to operate through narrow stretches within the city. In such conditions, it becomes difficult for the commuters to travel from one place to another.
Win-win situation
Authorities should have places for shared mobility services in places like depots, terminals, and multimodal hubs. The advantage of shared mobility services is that it has the potential to move people away from low-occupancy personal vehicles. Moreover, the low-cost model for passengers and high earnings for the drivers states this as a win-win situation as it makes it agreeable to all.
For example, the money spent by a passenger alone is much more inferior than the minimum fare in an individual auto, alongside this the money obtained from all passengers by an auto driver is much more than the amount received from a single passenger.
