Concerned over the congestion and anarchy on the capital roads because of the swelling numbers of autorickshaws, police have hit upon the idea of setting up “call centres” for booking three-wheelers.

A detailed plan is yet to be chalked out, but Patna superintendent of police (SP), traffic, Chandrika Prasad told The Telegraph: “The move, if implemented properly, will stop the autorickshaws plying and parking haphazardly on roads in a bid to get passengers. It would also make life easier for daily commuters.”

Sources said the idea of “pooling”, common in many cities across the world, could also be promoted using the same plan.

“At present, majority of autorickshaw drivers don’t own vehicles. Many autorickshaw owners possess more than one vehicle and they engage these drivers. If some of these owners get together and arrange for a helpline number, people will be able to book an autorickshaw over phone. This will benefit both the owner and the driver of the autorickshaws,” the officer told The Telegraph.

The officer said the police would soon meet the auto drivers’ associations and individual autorickshaw owners and seek their opinion on the proposal.

“Autorickshaws are the main cause of traffic jams in the capital at present. They always choke different roundabouts and the railway station. They ply and park in a haphazard manner trying to catch passengers in the absence of autorickshaw stands. Each driver drives rashly to beat his opponent to get passengers, triggering traffic snarls and resulting in accidents too. The new plan suggests that autorickshaws are parked at designated spots and be available on ‘on-call’ basis. Either five to six auto owners can operate on a joint venture or each can do it individually,” the SP said.