Way Forward for Autos - Reforms Agenda for Government!

Photo Courtesy -Peter Parr (pparr@aucb.ac.uk )

The way forward for Auto service Bengaluru can be found in various studies done in different parts of India. Some of these are very pertinent and seems to have done the right diagnosis of auto service plagued with different afflictions.

1. Assessing the role of auto rikshaws in sustainable urban transport for Indian Cities - Madhav Pai, Director EMBARQ, Jan 2011

2. Auto-rikshaws in Delhi: Murder By Regulation - Danish Faruqui and Raghav Sud, Center for Civil Society, 2011

3. An incite into Autorikshaw Service in Dharward - Poor Drivers & Rusted Three Wheelers - Tejeswani Yakkundimath, Center for Civil Society

All these studies have come to certain conclusions and interesting enough is all of them more or less have the same recommendations. Based on these  reports, here is my humble attempt to put forward some recommendations, if can be adopted in Bengaluru, will pave the way for a decent parantransit service.

Reform agenda for government

Top in the list of recommendation in the reports is the role of government. Not only every report is critical of governments contribution in auto rikshaw's pathetic service conditions. But the remedy that is recommended also lays the responsibility at the door of the government. Therefore autorikshaw service reform agenda for government tops the list among other things. Here is the list of reforms that is prescribed for government.

• Bring necessary changes in Motor Vehicle's Act 1988 to:
  • Define or refine the 'Para-transit Service' in the ambit of Public Transport Service and public service.
  • Define the various stake holders in Para-transit service and their roles
  • Define the acts which constitutes the breach of service.
  • Define the penal code and punitive action for breach of service
  • Vehicle safety requirements
  • Passenger safety requirements
• Putting forward an agenda for formalization of the service
  • Going forward only the fleet companies will be allowed to offer the para-transit service
  • Fleet companies could be operated under - Commercial, Non-profit, Co-operative models
  • Norms for minimum service benefits that company should offer to the employees incluidng Health and Life insurance
• Establishment of safety and eligibility criterion for Para-transit service vehicle operators
  • Education
  • Compulsory class room based training on safe driving and operation
  • Compulsory class room based training on responding to emergency situations
• Establishment of a 'Multi-Modal Governing Agency'
  • To act as a regulator of the Para-transit service apart from regulating other PT services
    • Ensuring healthy, competitive environment for service operations
    • Ensuring compliance of safety requirements and regulations
    • Ensuring compliance of public service requirements - Dealing with refusals, higher fares etc.
    • Ensuring a regime of transparent and market driven fare revision system based on actual operation cost
    • Establishing grievance readdress mechanism for disputes between Fleet Company/ Employee, Fleet Company/Passenger, Operator/Passenger, Fleet Company/Government agencies
• Establishment of transparent system of permits and licensing regime for paratransit service

Note - Vehicle registration should be continued with transport department through RTOs.