Mumbai: Mandatory road testing of electronic meters fitted with revised fare structures for autorickshaws and taxis is likely to begin Monday, marking the next phase of the citywide meter recalibration exercise following the recent fare hike.Officials from the Tardeo and Andheri Regional Transport Offices (RTOs) on Saturday said some of the autorickshaw e-meters have already cleared preliminary bench tests over the past few days. The meters have been fitted with new chips programmed to reflect the revised minimum fare of Rs 27 for autorickshaws and Rs 31 for taxis.“We plan to commence road tests this week to verify the meter pulse and fare calculation per kilometre,” said an RTO official from the western suburbs. While bench tests check the technical functioning of a meter, road tests are mandatory to ensure accuracy under actual operating conditions. During the process, the vehicle is driven on a designated RTO track and the distance covered is matched against the meter reading. Only after the readings are found accurate does the RTO seal and certify the meter.The new chips have been programmed with revised fares of Rs 27 for autorickshaws and Rs 31 for taxis. Union representatives said the recalibration process is expected to gather momentum in the coming weeks, but demanded an extension of the Nov 30 deadline as the exercise started about two weeks behind schedule.Mumbai region has around 150 authorised meter repair shops. The transport department has capped the recalibration charge at Rs 700 per vehicle and advised drivers to report overcharging to RTO authorities. However, several drivers alleged they end up paying 30-40% more than the prescribed rate for the process.
