Fare hike takes effect

Passengers in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR) will now pay a minimum fare of Rs 27 for auto-rickshaws and Rs 33 for taxis for the first 1.5 km, following a fare revision that came into effect on Tuesday. Auto-rickshaw fares were increased by Re 1 and black-and-yellow taxi fares by Rs 2, officials said.

The revision follows a Rs 2 per kg increase in the price of compressed natural gas (CNG) by Mahanagar Gas Ltd (MGL), bringing the rate to Rs 88 per kg in the MMR. The fare adjustment was approved by the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Transport Authority (MMRTA) based on a formula derived by the four-member Khatua panel, which takes into account fuel prices and operating costs while determining fares.

New fares and implementation

Beyond the initial 1.5 km, the revised fare for taxis is now Rs 21.90 per km, up from Rs 20.66, while the auto-rickshaw fare has been increased to Rs 18.22 per km from Rs 17.14, an RTO official said.

Drivers can charge the revised fares either after calibrating their electronic fare meters or by displaying the RTO-approved fare table. They have been given three months, until the end of November, to get their meters recalibrated; those who fail to do so within the stipulated period will face penalties, the official added.

Context of the revision

The fare revision comes after a gap of 18 months. The last fare hike, of Rs 3 each for taxis and auto-rickshaws in the MMR, came into effect on February 1, 2025.

There are more than 4.5 lakh auto-rickshaws and over 50,000 black-and-yellow taxis in the MMR, most of which run on CNG.