RailEnquiry

MANGALORE: A new sense of optimism has marked inauguration of new prepaid auto rickshaw kiosk at the Mangalore central railway station here. Constantly plagued by problems over maintenance, and jurisdictional issues, the pre-paid kiosk here has always functioned in fits and starts and never to the fullest satisfaction of commuting public. However, authorities feel it is premature to judge success or otherwise of this latest experimentation.Funded by city based Corporation Bank, Mangalore City South MLA JR Lobo inaugurated this kiosk at the station on Tuesday last. After a long gap, the prepaid auto rickshaw service at the railway station has resumed, with installation of the new kiosk that is constructed on a large area with necessary facilities and better infrastructure, including a shed for the convenience of the commuters as well as the staff manning the kiosk.Deputy Commission N Prakash, ever an optimist told TOI that it is not fair to judge success of this latest attempt to restart pre-paid auto rickshaw services at the central railway station. "It is true that the pre-paid service has functioned on and off in the past. However, one must always welcome any move that aims at providing some facility for the people, rather than delve into the previous failures associated with any such move," he surmised.

The kiosk should come as boon for thousands of commuters at Mangalore Central Railway Station, wherein a large number of trains including long distance ones pass through. The common woes of passengers arriving at the railway station is that they find themselves at the mercy of auto rickshaw drivers who take advantage of their position and charge more to ferry them to their respective destinations. "The kiosk should change this," Prakash avers.

Lobo appreciative of initiatives taken by all concerned in constructing the new kiosk and resuming services of prepaid auto rickshaw avers that prepaid system should instil confidence among the commuters. "The manner in which auto rickshaw drivers conduct themselves holds a mirror to the city and travellers carry that impression around," he says, adding it is imperative for auto rickshaw services to understand their role and act accordingly.