Thane railway station has started a prepaid auto-rickshaw service that will inform passengers of the fare before they board, with the initiative aimed at reducing disputes between commuters and drivers around the station. The service is being described as the first of its kind in Maharashtra.
The prepaid facility has been introduced jointly by the Vasantrao Davkhare Auto-Taxi Drivers and Owners Federation, Thane, and the Thane Regional Transport Department. A prepaid auto-rickshaw stand and service cabin were inaugurated at the railway station premises.
Under the new arrangement, passengers are expected to receive the fixed fare before beginning their journey. The report also states that payments due to drivers will be deposited directly into their bank accounts. The system is intended to address fare-related uncertainty and conflicts that have occurred after passengers wait in queues for an auto-rickshaw.
The launch was attended by Konkan Graduates constituency legislator Niranjan Davkhare, Thane city legislator Sanjay Kelkar, officials from the regional transport department, federation president Maruti Sawant, union office-bearers, women representatives and auto-rickshaw drivers.
According to the report, Davkhare had pursued the proposal for approximately one and a half to two years. The stated objective was to reduce disputes among drivers, manage auto-rickshaw queues and make journeys from the station more convenient and transparent for passengers.
The initiative required administrative and technical coordination because a prepaid auto-rickshaw system of this type had not previously been available in Maharashtra, the report said. Davkhare credited Transport Minister Pratap Sarnaik with granting approval for the facility and thanked him for enabling its implementation in Thane.
The launch places the railway station at the centre of an effort to formalise the connection between rail passengers and last-mile transport. The immediate operational details available in the report include the prepaid stand, the service cabin, prior fare disclosure and direct bank deposits for drivers. Further information on coverage areas, fare tables, operating hours and the mechanism for handling passenger complaints was not provided in the source report.
