Prepaid autorickshaw service all set for its Cuttack launch and (right) a booth at Cuttack railway station. Pictures by Badrika Nath Das

Cuttack, Sept. 29: The state’s first pre-paid autorickshaw system is all set to be introduced from Cuttack railway station on October 2.

The pre-paid autorickshaw service was earlier scheduled to be inaugurated on August 15. However, it had to be postponed till September 25 as the groundwork, including construction of prepaid counters and parking lots, had not been completed.

Introduction of the prepaid system is expected to put a check on irrational fares charged by the three-wheelers.

Taking note of the issue of irrational fares being frequently charged by autorickshaw drivers in Cuttack city, Orissa High Court had constituted a committee headed by city police commissioner B.K. Sharma for examining a proposal submitted by a sub-committee for introduction of the prepaid autorickshaw system.

“All the processes relating to inauguration of the pre-paid autorickshaw system have now been completed. The new service is all set to be introduced from October 2,” said deputy commissioner of police Praveen Kumar.

Sources in the police said that two pre-paid autorickshaw counters had been set up in front of gates No. 1 and 2 of the railway station.

Around 150 autorickshaws ferrying passengers from the railway station have been registered with the prepaid service.

The city has been divided into 22 zones, besides a Ring Zone comprising a radius of two kilometres covering areas such as OMP Square, College Square, Ranihat and Jobra.

A passenger will initially be charged Rs 30 for travelling up to a distance of two kilometres. The fare will subsequently increase according to distance. The fare has been fixed at Rs 55 for a distance of 10km up to Chauliaganj and Kalyannagar areas from the railway station. Similarly, the fares have been fixed at Rs 70 for Madhupatna, Khapuria and Industrial Estate, Rs 100 for areas at CDA sectors 6, 7, 8 and 9 and Rs 120 for CDA sectors 10, 11, 12 and 13.

A fare of Rs 65 will be charged for covering a distance of 12km up to Buxi Bazar, Bepari Sahi, and Pension Lane areas, while Rs 80 has been fixed as fare for travelling up to Seikh Bazaar and high court areas.

“We welcome the city police’s move of introducing the pre-paid autorickshaw service. We hope it will be of great help service to passengers,” said general secretary of Maa Tarini Autorickshaw Association Basudev Das. Though the fares for several zones and areas within the city limits have been fixed, a passenger opting for the pre-paid service can also negotiate with drivers for dropping them outside the city, including areas such as Salepur and Bhubaneswar.

“All the drivers have been issued identity cards and uniforms for the pre-paid autorickshaw system. We hope it will bring in more discipline among the drivers,” said Bijay Kumar Barik, secretary of Cuttack Railway Station Autorickshaw Association.