Chennai:
For an hour, ten auto-rickshaw drivers waiting at a stand in Chennai's Ashok Pillar area did not get a single passenger. They blame the expansion of free bus travel for women by Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay's government, saying more commuters are opting for buses, leaving them with fewer rides and dwindling earnings.
A Pakkiri, a worried auto driver said that there many like him in Chennai who have seen their business drop by 50 percent. "I used to get 10 to 15 trips daily. Now I get 5 to 6 trips only".
"The expansion means women have more connectivity and even those working women who can afford earning fifty thousand or above avoid the auto and take the bus," he added.
N Babu, another auto driver shared the impact is being felt at home also as dwindling earnings make it harder to meet household expenses, provide for their children and repay vehicle loans.
"One driver even recently committed suicide recently unable to manage", he claimed.
P Nagoor Gani said he was dependent mainly on street pick ups and not on Ola or Uber. "It's getting difficult."
The complaints come as the TVK government recently expanded a popular welfare scheme of the previous DMK government. The MK Stalin-government had introduced free bus travel for women on ordinary government buses in 2021.
Vijay's government has extended the benefit to additional services, including express and rural buses, fulfilling a key poll promise.
While the scheme offers women savings on daily commutes, auto operators say the shift towards free public transport is hurting their livelihoods. Their claim of a 50 percent fall in rides could not be independently verified, and the extent to which the scheme alone accounts for the decline remains unclear.
Auto Fares Unchanged Since 2013
Auto operators estimate that around 4.5 lakh autos are there in Tamil Nadu, supporting at least three million people directly and indirectly. They want the government to revise fares, which have remained officially unchanged since 2013, citing rising fuel, maintenance and household costs.
S Balasubramaniam, state working president of the Tamil Nadu Auto Workers Association, is among those pressing for intervention. The operators say a revised, government-notified fare structure would protect their livelihoods while bringing greater transparency for passengers.
The drivers reject the perception that they routinely overcharge passengers, arguing that the prescribed fares no longer reflect their operating costs. However, passengers have long complained about refusals to go by the metre and demands for excessive fares.
During the launch of the expansion of the free bus rides, the state Transport Minister said the government would look at concerns of all stakeholders including apprehensions expressed by private bus operators.
For the Vijay government, the challenge is to expand an important welfare benefit while addressing the concerns of another section of workers who say their livelihoods are being squeezed.