Few autos in the city adopt digital payment platform

Kolkata: With an increase in demand for digital payment options by passengers, a section of auto-rickshaw owners made the option available to avoid the daily bickering for the change notes.

In the Garia to Prince Anwar Shah auto route, some five autos have the option of digital payment stuck on their windshield, while some drivers have the application in their Android phones and offer it to passengers who ask them for the alternative payment option.

Sambhu has been driving the auto on this route for years. Recently, he installed a QR Code on the front side of his auto for transactions. Now every time there is a chance of the matter escalating because of the lack of Rs 10 or Rs 2, he points the QR code to his passengers and the tension is easily diffused. “Every day there is some bickering on change notes or we are given torn currency notes. Digital payment helps us to put an end to it,” he said.

The adoption of digital payment by auto-rickshaw drivers is being done in pockets. Many drivers are still running on cash as either they do not have a working bank account or are unable to operate through this system or do not own a smartphone. According to another auto driver in the Tollygunge to Deshapriya Park route, only a few of the drivers have it, others who need to pay the owners of the auto-rickshaws prefer to deal in cash as they require it.

Out of 700 auto rickshaws running under Baguiati to Ultadanga route, at least 50 auto drivers have installed QR code as an option in their autos.

According to Bikram Debnath, an auto driver on the route, more auto rickshaw drivers may opt for digital transactions in future.

Debraj Ghosh, a union leader on the Gariahat-Garia route said that few autos under the union have the option of paying through Paytm, Gpay or PhonePe. “It is definitely effective and convenient. Moreover it does solve the problem of unavailability of change. But only a few autos have started with this trend. It may be adopted by other auto drivers as well but it will take some time,” he said.