If all goes well, passengers alighting at Tatanagar station will no longer have to haggle with autos to take them to their destinations after a tiring train journey.

Chakradharpur railway division, which falls under South Eastern Railway, has decided to introduce prepaid auto service at the A-1 category junction on the lines of the one in Rourkela, thus offering much-needed respite to passengers who, on most occasions, end up being fleeced by unscrupulous three-wheeler drivers.

Confirming the plan, which is in nascent stage, spokesperson of Chakradharpur railway division A.K. Agarwal said that the railways were keen on offering a hassle-free transport service to the passengers so that they are not unnecessarily harassed or fleeced by auto drivers after alighting at the station.

"We will soon initiate talks with the local administration so that the necessary nitty-gritty can be worked out for starting the prepaid service as early as possible," Agarwal promised.

The first prepaid auto service in Chakradharpur division was launched at Rourkela station on April 6 and had been getting good response with around 800-1,000 drivers registering themselves under the new system.

Agarwal is certain that the Rourkela model can be easily implemented at Tatanagar, which witnesses more passenger footfall.

On an average, Tatanagar handles around 50,000 passengers daily and most of them take a ride in auto-rickshaws to reach their destinations.

"With around 18,000 autos plying in Jamshedpur, we are sure that such a service can be implemented with equal success at Tatanagar," Agarwal said.

Explaining how the Rourkela model worked, the senior railway official said passengers needed to pay a base fare for travelling in an auto-rickshaw plus extra charges per kilometre.

Out of this base fare, an auto-rickshaw operator is required to pay Rs 10 to the parking contractor, who looks after the vehicle kept outside the railway station.

A suitable fare chart will be worked out for Jamshedpur as well.

At present, around 2,000 auto-rickshaws ferry passengers from Tatanagar station to various places like Telco, Sakchi, Bistupur, Adityapur, Sonari, Kadma and Mango.

Regular train passengers welcomed the plan.

"If the prepaid auto service is launched, we won't have to bargain with the auto drivers, who have a high-handed attitude and are always ready to fleece us," said Awdesh Srivastava, a local trader, who frequently travels to Calcutta for business purposes and avails the auto service from Tatanagar station to reach home.