[Resolved]  Chennai Auto Driver — Crooked auto driver

Address:

Chennai, Tamil Nadu

Dear Chennai Police Commissioner,

I have been consistently disappointed by brazen cheating by Chennai autorickshaw drivers ever since I came to this city four weeks ago.

My latest bad experience was tonight as follows:

I took an autorickshaw at Velachery rail station for Murugan Kalyana Mantapa on Velachery Bypass road -- a distance of about 2 km -- at 10.45 p.m. today, that is 3 June 2013. As I flagged down the auto, I asked, "how much to Murugan Kalyana Mantapam?" The auto driver said casually, "Yevlo yenna! Ukkarungo, sir." It so happened that he had ferried me to this destination from the station on an earlier occasion, when I had paid Rs. 50. (I always pay Rs. 50 on that route, two times every day). So I sat in the vehicle, but only after asking if he had change for Rs. 500. He said he had. Upon reaching the destination, the driver said he'd charge Rs. 60. When I protested, and the security guards at the building inquired, he lied -- yes, lied -- that he and I had agreed on Rs. 60. We had not. We had agreed only on the same fare that I paid the previous time, which was Rs. 50. When I insisted on his giving proper change, he snatched my 500-rupee note -- yes, snatched! -- and was about to leave. I protested at his goondagiri, but he did not relent. He boasted that his name was Raja and he had CITU support -- he challenged me to make a police complaint against him. (Auto license number TN 11, 9565). Further, he literally grabbed a 10-rupee note from me before finally giving change of Rs. 450. So in all, he took, by force, Rs. 60 -- a full Rs. 10 more. The question, of course, wasn't about money but about ethical and acceptable behavior. I have no doubt that if the security guards weren't watching, this man would have walked off with my 500-rupee note and perhaps done even worse things.

Again, the auto driver's name is Raja, he boasted he had CITU support, and his vehicle number is TN 11, 9565. In the interest of civility and justice, I request Chennai police to investigate him and disallow him from driving any public service vehicle.

My previous bad experience was when I failed to note down the driver's name and vehicle number. It was on last Friday, May 31, at 9 p.m. when I took an autorickshaw from near Simpsons (Anna Salai, Chintadripet) to Chennai Central. The driver took the Rs. 100 I gave him and after rummaging in his pocket for change (per the agreed amount of Rs. 30), did NOT produce any change -- instead, after a few seconds, he turned back and asked me for money! I said I just gave him Rs. 100 to which he said, "What Rs. 100? You have not yet given me anything"! That is the level o[censored]nconscionable behavior he stooped to. I protested loudly and after verbally fighting with him for close to ten minutes -- all the time worried I might miss my train -- he finally produced the correct change and I went on my way.

Please help!