New club for honest autorickshaw drivers
Members vow to change Delhis destiny
NEW DELHI: Theres a new club in town. The members are well dressed, courteous, trained and honest, and they all drive autorickshaws. They are committed that they will not turn down passengers, will go by the fare meter and maintain a customer-oriented approach.
Driver Deepak Jaiswal, 40, is a member of the Star Autorickshaw Club, an initiative of NGO Nyaya Bhoomi. The people of Delhi have seen us as the bad guys who fleece and harass, and that is shameful, he said. Another member, Raju Gupta, 35, said, I have four children and after paying rent for the vehicle, and the fixed amount to give to the club, I am left with Rs 100 a day. But what I make is with a clean conscience the passenger will respect me.
The rickshaws sport a plate bearing the brands name, a fare chart, the drivers photograph and the message: I am an honest autorickshaw driver; we work with honesty to change Delhis destiny. Entry into the club is Rs 3,000 and covers the cost of training, uniforms and the autos makeover with new seats, direction indicators, paint, etc.
We have given them registers to keep accounts, feedback and suggestions to keep the system transparent. These will be used when evaluating drivers, who will then be awarded gold stars on their uniforms, said Rakesh Agarwal, secretary, Nyaya Bhoomi. IANS
The uniformed drivers will drive rickshaws the fare chart printed on the autos body (inset)