Rapido Vs Autorickshaw drivers war escalates in Bengaluru
In Bengaluru, tensions between Rapido and autorickshaw drivers escalate, leading to a case filed against a group for damaging Rapido rickshaws and stealing materials. The police have also registered 722 cases against auto drivers in July for demanding excess fares and refusing hires.
FollowThe police have filed a case on a group of 10 to 15 people for damaging 50 Rapido rickshaws in Bengaluru and stealing materials. The FIR states that a group of people halted a ride, which started from the HSR layout, from the Rapido office and allegedly stole materials meant for the Rapido auto drivers.Â
Disputes between Rapido drivers and autorickshaw drivers in Bengaluru have become frequent. The auto drivers accuse Rapido and other bike rental companies of ‘snatching’ their livelihood as they operate on white-board license plates.
Rapido employee M Reddy Prasad has lodged a complaint against the group, under IPC sections for theft, mischief, insult and criminal intimidation. The complainant stated that a group, which halted the ride, hailing from the Rapido office in HSR, around 12.30 pm on July 7, engaged themselves in petty arguments with the staff.Â
Later, they even demanded to see the company documents and license’s for their benefit. After the dispute, they stole rain curtains and seat belts which were meant for the Rapido autorickshaw drivers.Â
A police officer from HSR layout has confirmed the FIR and stated that the complaint was a part of the series and counter-complaints have also been registered. The Rapido employees and the auto drivers both have recorded their statements for the incident.
722 cases against auto drivers in July
The Police registered 722 cases against auto drivers in the month of July over the grounds of demanding excess fares and refusing hires. Several citizens have complained about the auto-rikshaw drivers, in the recent Janasankalpa meeting held by the traffic cops.
The Traffic cops have identified several hotspots in Bengaluru, such as railway and metro stations, Majestic bus stands, and Satellite bus stands, where the auto drivers demand excess fares over the fixed price and sometimes even refuse to go on hire.
M N Anuscheth, Joint commissioner of traffic police has issued a statement that the police have deployed police personnel at the identified places post 10pm, so that no passenger shall be cheated by the auto drivers.Â
"They charge regular fares while the customers speak Kannada, and they charge 1.5 more than the metre fares, while the customer is an outsider. Charging 1.5 more than regular fares is completely normal post-10 pm. However, charging higher fares during broad daylight is unacceptable," said Satwik, a daily passenger.
