Pune RTO to consider re-starting Share-a-Rick service at Metro stations

To restore share-a-rick service at Metro stations, the Regional Transport Office (RTO) of Pune will negotiate with the autorickshaw unions in Pune and Pimpri Chinchwad.

Six months ago, the service was introduced as a last-mile connectivity feature. But, given the lackluster response from autorickshaw drivers, it came to an end.

A senior official of the RTO stated that they will undoubtedly examine the share-a-rick service and take action to make it better. Metro commuters will find the service useful as it will make it easier for them to get to the Metro stations.

In order to guarantee last-mile connectivity for commuters, the RTO intends to meet with the autorickshaw drivers when four more Metro stations—all on the Ramwadi route—become operational early next month.

According to RTO officials, autorickshaw unions could not rationally choose not to participate in the initiative.

Metro riders reported that autorickshaw drivers were refusing to charge for their services at Metro stations. The Maha Metro and RTO have posted a chart outside Shivajinagar Metro station with information about the share-a-rick service, according to a resident of Shivajinagar, but autorickshaw drivers won’t follow it. Nobody monitors the drivers of autorickshaws.

On the two Metro routes, more than thirty Metro stations are operational. Under the share-a-rick program, the RTO has approved over 100 routes for autorickshaw drivers to operate.

According to sources in the RTO, the share-a-rick program’s failure can be attributed to autorickshaw drivers’ lack of knowledge about its advantages.

An autorickshaw union leader claimed that proper infrastructure was lacking on the share-a-rick initiative routes and in the vicinity of Metro stations. The drivers of autorickshaws are not optimistic about their earnings from the share-a-rick program.