Auto, taxi fares hiked in Delhi over rising CNG prices

New Delhi: In the wake of rising CNG fares in Delhi since the last few months, Delhi government has approved the revised fare for auto-rickshaw and taxi in the national Capital.

For auto-rickshaws, the meter down fare for initial 1.5 kilometre has been increased by 5 rupees and for taxis the meter down fare for 1 kilometre has been increased by 15 rupees for both AC and non-AC taxis.

The last revision in the auto-rickshaw fares happened in 2020 while that for taxi which includes black-and-yellow

taxi, economy taxi and premium taxi happened nine years back in 2013.

In 2020, while the fare of CNG was Rs 47, it has now increased to Rs 78 by Oct 2022. Delhi's Transport Minister Kailash Gahlot had received many representations from the auto-rickshaw and taxi associations/unions on this issue. Hence, a committee of 13 members was formed in May 2022 to review and recommend the fare in the wake of increasing rate of CNG, cost and maintenance of auto-rickshaw and taxi.

The committee recommended revising the fare for black-and-yellow taxi and economy taxi which was then reviewed and approved by the Delhi government. The committee also recommended not to change the existing fare for the premium taxi category to avoid them being too expensive for the users.

Delhi's Transport Minister Kailash Gahlot said, "Under the leadership of CM Arvind Kejriwal, Delhi has always been committed to be empathetic to the people driving autos and taxis in Delhi. We have seen the fuel prices in India have gone up in the recent months which has impacted the profits of the drivers. The increased cost led them to further drive less km which ultimately impacted the supply on road for the citizens of Delhi traveling to their offices or home. The revised fares will help them to support their families and will also provide convenience to the passengers with increased availability of auto-rickshaws and taxis in the city."