Patna: Auto drivers struggle amid few customers, low income

PATNA: The movement of public transport may have resumed in the city as part of the relaxations given in the fourth phase of the Covid-19 lockdown, but auto drivers are struggling to make ends meet. They have witnessed a sharp dip in the number of customers hiring their vehicles.
37-year-old Majister Singh, who has been riding an autorickshaw in Patna for the last 15 years, claimed that he had no other source of income.“I have to support a family of four. Since I am unable to earn more than Rs 100 every day, I have to use my savings to buy essential items,” he rued.
Another auto driver, Satyendra Singh, pointed out, “Most of my passengers are students and office-goers. Since all schools and colleges and many offices are still shut, I earn only Rs 550 a week. Now, I have started riding my auto on a different route, but I do not see much difference in my income.”
The situation of some drivers, who do not have their own autos, is more miserable. After working for an entire day, 33-year-old Sunil Kumar earns only Rs 180, which is not enough to sustain his family. “To make matters worse, I have to give Rs 250 to the owner of the auto and pay Rs 35 for parking the vehicle at the Patliputra station,” he said.
Autorickshaws and e-rickshaws started running from May 20 on an odd-even basis with just two passengers.
Bihar State Auto Chalak Sangh’s general secretary, Raj Kumar Jha, told this newspaper that traffic police personnel were troubling the drivers by imposing fines on them for not following the odd-even policy.
“Less than 50% of the autos are plying on city roads. The government should give the drivers relaxations as they are uneducated and cannot understand what is odd or even,” Jha said.
He alleged, “In tough times like these, some traffic cops are issuing challans for non-renewal of road tax and pollution under control certificates in Chitkohra and Rajendra Nagar area.”
Patna Autorickshaw Association secretary, Ranjit Kumar Singh, urged the government to ensure that the drivers had a stable source of income.
He said, “An auto wallah, Rajesh Pandey, committed suicide at his rented house in Khajekalan on May 25 because he had not earned a single penny in 57 days. He was under a lot of pressure.”