Women hiring autorickshaws from Chennai Central during wee hours may not have to worry much about their safety or fear of fleecing. The state railway police has introduced a system to optimise passenger safety and eliminate fleecing by drivers.
As per the system, all non-prepaid auto drivers operating from Chennai Central have been instructed to distribute cards bearing complete information about them to passengers.
Senior GRPF officials said that the cards would contain the driver’s name, batch and vehicle number, address and mobile numbers besides the police helpline number.
As many as 300 of the 800 and odd non-prepaid drivers operating from Chennai Central have volunteered for the new card distribution programme. Each driver has been advised to print at least 100 such cards each for distribution to passengers.
On Friday, 30 drivers demonstrated their support by coming up with cards printed at their own expense, GRPF officials pointed out adding that the cards would help auto passengers to contact police for immediate help when they face inconvenience at the hands of unruly drivers attempting to fleece them.
Women passengers travelling late would be greatly protected by the cards, as they would be able to call cops for help the moment they sense danger during late night auto travel. The idea would also come in handy for passengers who leave their baggage or property in the autorickshaws while alighting, police say adding that mischievous drivers, if any, would also be wary since the card would reveal their identity and can be easily traced by police.
Likewise, the drivers would also gain out of the cards by winning passengers confidence. The warmth and good manners of drivers will bring the passengers back to them, GRPF officials added.