Shared autorickshaws have stranglehold over Andheri and Kandivali
As is typical of the suburbs, Andheri and Kandivali are filled with routes that are essentially monopolised by shared rickshaws. “They ply with many more passengers than is legal,” explained Dhaval Shah, member of the Lokhandwala Oshiwara Citizens Association
Mumbai: “I go from a crammed train to a crammed metro to a crammed autorickshaw,” said Claudia, a resident of Versova, rueing the fact that even the last leg of her journey offers no respite. The space and comfort that an autorickshaw should give is no longer an option for most commuters, thanks to the preponderance of shared autorickshaws, many of them illegal, which have taken over roads outside railway stations.
Like Claudia, people exiting a metro or railway station to complete the last leg of their daily journey have very limited options. They could consider taking the BEST bus, but coming from a distance away, it arrives jam-packed. For some, there is the option of walking, but it requires time and energy. Another choice is a regular autorickshaw that plies by the meter, but finding one is near-impossible these days. All the regular autos have been replaced by shared rickshaws—a phenomenon seen all over the western suburbs.
“The shared rickshaws charge ₹20 per person, which is less than the ₹30 to ₹35 one would pay for a regular rickshaw,” said Claudia. “But they seat six people in one rickshaw, with two people beside the driver in the front seat.” While the rickshaw drivers make a killing by overloading passengers, the strain on the three-wheeled vehicle is obvious. “The brakes are not made for this,” said Claudia, speaking of swerving turns and close calls.
“The concept of shared auto rickshaws is not all bad,” said Nitin Gupta, another resident who travels from Thakur Village, Kandivali. “But they need to be monitored. The drivers are very rash on the road and despite there being traffic on Akurli Road, they cut other vehicles and pedestrians dangerously.”
As is typical of the suburbs, Andheri and Kandivali are filled with routes that are essentially monopolised by shared rickshaws. “They ply with many more passengers than is legal,” explained Dhaval Shah, member of the Lokhandwala Oshiwara Citizens Association. “Some are regulated—the ones that queue up at official stands and mention the shared rates, which are set jointly by the RTO and rickshaws. The menace is the unregulated ones.”
The unregulated rickshaws at Andheri have several standard routes—D N Nagar Metro station to Infiniti Mall or Mega Mall, Versova Jetty to Versova, Versova Metro to Versova and others. They use their license to charge twice the regulated fare, increase rates at peak times, overload passengers by accommodating one or more on the driver’s seat and drive rashly to squeeze in more trips.
The situation is similar outside Kandivali station, where finding a regular rickshaw is akin to finding a needle in a haystack. There are several shared autorickshaws which queue up one behind the other, blocking the way for other autorickshaws. Others turn on the wrong side of the road, blocking the path for other vehicles.
From Kandivali East, the shared autos take people to the residential areas of Thakur Village, Ashok Nagar, Lokhandwala Complex and Thakur Complex among others, while Kandivali West has shared autos plying in Mahavir Nagar, Charkop, Ganesh Nagar, Hindustan Naka and other localities. The metro lines 2A and 7 have also improved connectivity, yet dependence on autos continues, especially from railway stations. As Claudia said, “What’s the point of taking the metro? You’re stranded after reaching your stop.”
