Mysuru auto drivers demand fare hike

Mysuru: The Mysuru City Auto Drivers' Association staged a protest in front of Mysuru Deputy Commissioner's office here on Thursday urging the government to raise autorickshaw fare.

Currently, the minimum auto metre fare is Rs 25 and Rs 13 for every additional km. The protesters appealed to the authorities to increase the minimum fare to Rs 30 and fix Rs 15 for every additional km. Auto drivers are finding it difficult to make ends meet not only with the rising prices of daily essentials, but also with the hike in fuel prices in recent days.

They also submitted a letter to Deputy Commissioner Dr Bagadi Gautham seeking immediate action. Chamaraja constituency MLA L Nagendra met the autorickshaw drivers and listened to their demands.

Later, Nagendra also spoke to the Regional Transport Department officials over the phone and asked them to arrange a meeting of the Mysuru District Road Transport Authority under the chairmanship of the Deputy Commissioner after the poll code of conduct ends and take a suitable decision.