File picture of an autorickshaw stand near Bhubaneswar railway station

Bhubaneswar, May 21: The transport department’s plan to launch a pre-paid autorickshaw and taxi service in the city has missed the deadline because of the delay in identifying zones across the city. The deadline for the launch of the service was May 15.

The government has formed a subcommittee under the chairmanship of the deputy commissioner of police (DCP), Bhubaneswar, to demarcate the zones. Railway, regional transport and city airport officials are members of the committee.

A technical committee, headed by the state transport commissioner, was supposed to take a final call on the fares after getting the zone details. Bhubaneswar DCP Nitinjeet Singh said they were working on the zone planning of the city.

“We have conducted a field survey of the city and it will be divided into a number of zones for the pre-paid service,” he said.

A pre-paid autorickshaw service was launched in Cuttack in October 2011, but Bhubaneswar is yet to implement it. More than 120 autorickshaws from Cuttack railway station carry passengers to various parts of the city, which has been divided into 22 zones.

Sources in the transport department said the pre-paid service in the city would take the railway station, airport and Barmunda bus terminal as origin points and formulate a point-to-point fee structure. Though such a fare structure for autorickshaws from the railway station was implemented in 2008, it is no more in use.

“Without a proper pre-paid service, we are forced to argue on fares with the autorickshaw operators in most cases. The situation becomes worse at night when they charge double,” said Amiya Pradhan, a resident of the city.

At present, the city bus service ferries the majority of passengers from the railway station and airport, apart from the Baramunda bus terminal. However, the buses are available only from 7am to 9pm.

“Most cities have pre-paid autorickshaw and taxi service. Bhubaneswar too needs it at the earliest,” said Hemant Samal, a passenger.