Noida: A group of auto drivers protested on Thursday against illegal bike taxis and unregistered e-rickshaws outside the Noida Sector 32 Transport Department to demand action against such vehicles that have affected their livelihood.
The service road outside the Noida Transport Department office was gridlocked after hundreds of autos were parked and their drivers staged the protest outside the department’s gate.
As per the Noida Transport Department, there are 26,143 registered e-rickshaws, 17,558 auto-rickshaws, 68,5063 privately registered two-wheelers, and 3,055 commercial two-wheelers in the district.
Noida CNG Auto Drivers’ Union’s president Omprakash Gurjar said, “The number of bike taxis is much higher than the registered ones. There are nearly 30,000 bike taxis operating in Noida. Many of the riders use their private vehicles as bike taxis, and do not pay taxes to the government.”
“Due to avoiding tax, they charge less, and commuters prefer them over us. This affects our work, and we demand that the ARTO should launch an enforcement drive against them,” he added.
Another auto union president, Lal Babu, also joined the protest and said e-rickshaw drivers are also affecting their business. “E-rickshaws in the city also violate rules in the district. They cause unnecessary traffic congestion by parking anywhere and overloading passengers. Their routes and fare structure are also not decided, which is affecting our livelihood,” he said.
Anand Kumar, an auto driver who has been running his vehicle in Delhi-NCR for the past seven years, said, “Due to the rise in bike taxis and e-rickshaws, our earnings have dropped rapidly in the last two to three years. With the rising price of CNG, it is too hard to meet monthly expenses. We are forced to protest against illegal modes of transport.”
A bike taxi driver, requesting anonymity, said, “We also work hard. We barely earn much using these online aggregators that provide us rides. We are not against auto drivers; we want a rule that benefits us as well without harming our means of earning.”
Nand Kumar, Assistant Regional Transport Officer (ARTO), Noida, said, “Discussion is underway with the auto union to address their grievances.”