With the steep hike in the prices of petrol and diesel, there is no dearth of troubles for the commuters. The crisis has affected all forms of transport – autorickshaws, cabs and public as well as private transport, making commuting costly.
The latest hike in fuel prices has led to petrol being sold at ₹119.47 per liter and diesel at ₹105.47 per liter across retail outlets in Hyderabad.
With this hike, and accommodating the demands of cab drivers, cab service aggregator Uber announced a 15% hike in fares. The company claimed that the move is aimed at “cushioning the drivers from the impact of the spike in fuel prices”.
A few days before the announcement, a cab drivers’ association had launched a ‘no AC in cab’ campaign, with an aim to draw attention to the plight of cab drivers due to the relentless hike in fuel prices.
The Telangana State Road Transport Corporation (TSRTC) was the first to be hit by the cumulative effect of the hike in fuel prices. Oil marketing companies, which had once given discounts to the transport world, first increased the prices of diesel for them. The hike of ₹7 per liter for bulk buyers meant that TSRTC would have to pay more than the retail price of diesel. As a result, it started procuring fuel from retail outlets.
“I had to pay ₹15 to come from Apollo intersection to the check post, which is less than 2 km away. It is like that,” said a passenger from TSRTC. Now, a ride of less than 10 km in a TSRTC bus is likely to cost a passenger ₹25.
Last month, TSRTC introduced a security cess of ₹1, which meant the ticket fare would be rounded off to the nearest multiple of ₹5. More often than not, it was rounded off to a higher multiplier. While the TSRTC management maintains that the security cess should not be misunderstood as a fare hike, passengers had to pay more. For example, from the fifth phase, a passenger taking an ordinary city bus will have to pay ₹20 instead of ₹15. Though the ticket fare hike has not been announced yet, sources said the TSRTC management does not see any other way to make up for the loss.
On the other hand, autorickshaw unions have been demand for revision of rent, In a representation submitted to the Transport Department, he requested that the minimum fare be increased from ₹20 to ₹40 and the fare per kilometer from ₹11 to ₹25. Union leader B Venkatesham said the demand was made in view of rising fuel prices.