Chennai: Auto drivers charging unreasonable fares have found a convenient new excuse: LPG. Across the city, drivers are citing rising fuel costs to demand steep, often arbitrary fares, leaving commuters with little choice but to pay or walk away. In the last few days, many have taken to social media to vent that drivers claim they are paying triple the LPG price to demand exorbitant amounts.“Earlier they would demand 20 or 30 extra, now if the fare is 120, they ask for 200. If we haggle, they say there is LPG shortage and they pay double or triple and wait for hours to refuel,” said J Geetha, a resident of Chintadripet.The claims, however, do not entirely hold up. While LPG prices have risen, reported fare hikes far exceed any proportional increase in operating costs. At PSU fuel outlets, LPG was priced at around 65 per litre as of Thursday, while private bunks sold it between 80 and 85. Yet, drivers and commuters report transaction values far above these rates.A Shankar, a resident of Velachery, experienced this first-hand after landing late at the airport. “Taxi drivers demanded 1,000. I refused, only to end up paying 900 to an auto driver, who said he paid more for fuel,” he said.Auto drivers insist their concerns are real. Many say private LPG stations operate irregularly and charge a premium. “I paid 135 per litre after searching for half an hour. I also pay 30% commission to aggregators. What do I take home?” asked R Guru, an auto driver in Vadapalani.Unions, however, offer a different take. M Sampath of AITUC alleged that gas agencies have created an artificial scarcity to push up prices. “Prices have gone up, but there is no real shortage. No auto driver has stopped operating,” he said.Amid the blame game, the regulatory vacuum remains glaring. A Zahir Hussain, president of Tamil Nadu auto and call taxi drivers union federation, said overcharging will continue until fares are officially revised. “We are ready for a revised fare. Disputes between drivers and passengers will reduce only then,” he said.The problem is no longer confined to autos. Cab and bike taxi drivers, who rarely demanded a sum over the actual fare earlier, are now citing fuel demand to justify higher fares despite repeated assurances from suppliers that there is no shortage of petrol, diesel or LPG.An official from Rapido said complaints have risen on both sides and they are in talks to revise the fares. “Drivers are paying more for LPG, but overcharging is also behavioural. We may revise fares on our app,” the official said.
