With none to crack whip, share autos take control of Madurai roads

Share autos in Madurai cause chaos & accidents, despite traffic rules; district administration should provide dedicated stops & amend Motor Vehicles Act to punish offenders.

Share autorickshaws, which are next to Tamil Nadu State Transport Corporation (TNSTC) buses in catering to the needs of Madurai people for their daily commute, barely follow traffic rules and regulations. This leads to serious accidents and disorder on road.

In most of the important places such as hospitals, bus stands, schools, district court, Collectorate, where people converge in large numbers, one cannot escape the sight of share autos barging through the traffic, preventing other vehicles from passing ahead.  

Bikers will anytime expect a share auto to overtake them or cut right across the path. Near Government Rajaji Hospital, Maatuthavani and Arappalayam bus stands, district court complex and other places, share autos try to outrun the government buses to pick up passengers at the bus stops.

A biker near MGR bus stand said the Melur Road near Mattuthavani is wide enough to allow parallel running of three heavy vehicles but it is crammed with share autos leaving very little carriage space for other vehicles to move ahead.  “When an auto driver stops on the roadside to pick up passengers, the autos following him do not wait for him to leave and instead overtake and stop before him not to miss out on passengers, and this goes on like a cycle till the entire road gets blocked with autos, despite constant honking by other vehicles,” he said.  

It is a fact that people prefer share autos to buses due to higher frequency and cheaper fare compared to ‘low-floor deluxe buses’ and individual autos. Still, there should be a regulation, akin to buses, for the auto drivers too, the biker said.   

A share auto driver, Arunachalam, who drives mostly on the GRH route, said they have fierce competition in picking up passengers.  “We depend on our auto for our livelihood. Since passengers do not prefer individual autos because of the high fare and opt for ride-hailing apps, share autos are the only source to earn income for people like us,” he added.  

The district administration should recognise share autos as a mode of transport and provide basic facilities like separate parking lots and passenger bay where people could board and alight with ease, without disturbing other vehicles.