Patna: Auto-rickshaw drivers in Patna have increased fares on the busy Gandhi Maidan to Patna Junction route, charging passengers Rs. 20 instead of the usual Rs. 15, a move the district administration has described as “arbitrary” and subject to strict action.
The decision, announced by the Auto Men’s Union, is set to take effect from January 1. The union claims it was forced to raise fares due to rising operational costs following recent traffic system changes and route diversions caused by ongoing metro construction.
A meeting held at Gandhi Maidan on Tuesday saw the union’s general secretary, Ajay Kumar Patel, defend the move. “We wrote multiple letters to the transport department requesting a fare revision, but no action was taken. With the new route adding significant distance, increasing fares became unavoidable,” he said.
Metro construction along Fraser Road and near Akashvani has blocked direct access to Patna Junction, forcing auto-rickshaws to detour via SP Verma Road, Dak Bungalow Chowk, and Kotwali T-point. The detour adds between one and one-and-a-half kilometres to the journey, according to the union.
Commuters, however, say the fare hike is an added burden. The Gandhi Maidan–Patna Junction corridor is heavily used by students, office workers, and train passengers. Many describe the increase as arbitrary, particularly amid cold and foggy winter conditions that already make travel difficult.
The district administration has firmly rejected the move. District Magistrate Dr Thiyagarajan SM said an investigation would be conducted and warned that “no driver or union can arbitrarily increase fares without approval. The transport department and traffic police were not informed of this decision.”
This is not the first instance of Patna auto-rickshaw drivers raising fares independently, often citing rising fuel costs. Such disputes typically leave passengers caught in the middle, while the administration negotiates with unions.
With the fare hike coming into effect on January 1, attention now turns to whether the administration will roll back the increase or whether permanent route changes will justify further fare adjustments in the future.
