Pune: RTO Cracks Down On Auto-Rickshaw Permits Held By Employed Individuals
Pune, 6th January 2025: If you are employed in a private or government job, you are required to surrender your auto rickshaw permits. The Regional Transport Office (RTO) Pune has announced that action will be taken against auto-rickshaw drivers who retain their licenses while being employed elsewhere. This move might help reduce instances of auto-rickshaw drivers behaving rudely towards passengers, which is often observed.
In Pune, people use both private and public transport. For the convenience of passengers, the Ministry of Road Transport of the Maharashtra Government issues rickshaw permits. After realizing that the number of rickshaws was insufficient compared to the population, the issuance of rickshaw licenses was resumed in 2017. At that time, there were over 46,000 rickshaw drivers in Pune. Since then, the number has grown astronomically, with 83,000 rickshaw drivers now operating in Pune and more than 40,000 in Pimpri Chinchwad.
According to The Motor Vehicles Act of 1988, individuals employed in government, semi-government, or private jobs cannot hold a rickshaw permit. When issuing rickshaw permits, affidavits are obtained from applicants. However, complaints have arisen about people pursuing rickshaw driving as a part-time job and permits being given to others.
Numerous reports of rickshaw drivers disrespecting, misbehaving, and exploiting customers have come to light. The RTO’s move is being viewed as an attempt to combat these issues and improve the quality of service provided by auto rickshaw drivers in the region.
