CHENNAI: When news of the hike in bus fares got out, the drivers of share autos and mini-cabs were reasonably happy. As many admitted, they were expecting a surge in passengers, after both fares are now almost equal. However, to their consternation, not only did passengers begin abandoning the MTC’s fleet of buses, they have also begun avoiding share autos as well. “We thought that sales would immediately pick up. But for the last three days, most of us have been making less than 60 per cent of our usual collection,” says Anandrajan, who operates a share cab (the white Tata Magic) along the Ashok Nagar-Moolakadai route. The reason, according to him is simple, “People think that just because the bus fares have gone up, we would have automatically increased our rates. But that isn’t true,” he adds, “Not yet, at least.”A similar scenario can be seen along most popular share cab routes within the metropolis. “Normally, I make between Rs 350-400 per trip between Golden Flats (Mogappair) and Gemini (Anna Salai). Today, I have made two trips up and down and have collected less than Rs 200. Where have all the commuters gone?,” queries Ahmed S, another share cab driver. Peak hours are reasonably better, he adds. But earlier, people used to rush to share autos and cabs outside Loyola College by evening, because the buses were so full; now, they have to beat out other autos and compete, because students just opt for the less-crowded buses, unless persuaded.“It will take 10-15 days for our commuters to get used to this price rise. They will realise that we offer a better option, with a confirmed seat, better speed and flexible stops at just ` 1-2 more,” wagers R Shakti, the President of the Share Autos Welfare Association in Kamban Nagar. Once they manage to hook people, then “obviously” a price rise will follow, he concedes - “because of inflation”, it seems.Chennai’s rather voluminous suburbs have a different story to tell: the share autos (the ones with three-wheels) instantly increased their fares, on par with the MTC and are still doing brisk business. “Earlier, we used to pay ` seven or 10 between Vinayak Nagar and Perambur. But now, the rates have soared to a flat `15. We have no option because though the bus ticket prices may have soared, the number of buses in the suburbs still haven’t,” shrugs off Antony Prabhakar, who travels to Perambur for work.
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