Auto fares in several routes increased by up to ₹3 after the price of LPG for autorickshaws rose by ₹5 a litre early Wednesday.
The new price of auto LPG is ₹62.68 a litre, compared to ₹57.68 on Tuesday.
Even at the higher rate, rows of autorickshaws
formed long queues outside the pumps for their refill.
They were apprehensive
that the stocks might not last long.
The auto fare on the Chingrighata-SDF route increased by ₹3, from ₹15 to ₹18, while the fare on the Swasthya Bhavan-Chingrighata route rose by ₹2 to ₹17. Some commuters on the Garia-Baruipur and Sonarpur-Garia routes said the fares were up by ₹3.
“Auto drivers said the cost of fuel has risen, forcing them to hike the fares,” said Niloy Saha, a commuter on the Swasthya Bhavan-Chingrighata auto route.
Saha, however, said he did not face an autorickshaw shortage on the route on Wednesday.
On several routes, commuters complained that there weren’t enough autos during the morning rush hour.
Union leaders said several drivers were away for
their LPG refill, causing the shortage.
Across the city, autorickshaw drivers said their waiting time at the pumps varied between seven and eight hours.
Some said they joined the queue around 3am only to leave the pump at 9.30am.
“There was a long queue at the pump in Razabazar because that’s the only one selling LPG for autos,” said Bappa Ghosh, an auto driver
on the Maniktala-Girish Park route.
At other pumps, like the ones at Bengal Chemical, Alipore and BT Road Rathtala, queues remained almost unchanged throughout the day as pump operators struggled to meet the demand.
“The price of kata-gas (sourced from domestic LPG cylinders) has also gone up and its supply has become very irregular. So those who have been using the kata-gas have begun queuing up at petrol pumps selling auto LPG,” said Arfin Hussain, an auto driver on the Dharmatala-Lohapool route.
Auto union leaders said they did not approve the fare hike.
“We have told all drivers that there can be no arbitrary fare hike,” said Sanjib Banerjee, an auto-union leader for multiple routes covering Ruby and Gariahat.
Many are not listening, though.