Auto-rickshaw driver unions in Tamil Nadu have urged the state government to announce a long-pending fare revision when Transport Minister A. Vijay Tamilan Parthiban tables the department's demands for grants in the state Assembly on Friday, 29 August 2025. The push comes after 13 years without an official tariff update, leaving thousands of drivers caught between rising costs and a legally enforceable fare structure that no longer reflects ground realities.

What the Unions Are Demanding

The Auto-Taxi Workers Association, affiliated with the Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU), has proposed fixing the minimum fare at ₹60 for the first 1.5 km and ₹30 for every additional kilometre. The demands also include a night tariff of one-and-a-half times the normal fare and a waiting charge of ₹1 per minute.

According to association general secretary S. Balasubramaniam, these proposals were formally submitted during a tripartite meeting chaired by the Transport Minister on 9 July. The association has called for immediate finalisation and official notification of the revised fare structure.

Why Drivers Say the Current Tariff Is Untenable

Tamil Nadu's auto-rickshaw fares were last revised in August 2013 under the previous All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) government, when the minimum fare was set at ₹25 for the first 1.8 km and ₹12 per additional kilometre. With no official revision since, many drivers have reportedly been collecting fares above the metre rate, citing rising fuel prices, vehicle maintenance costs, and insurance premiums.

Unions argue that a government-notified tariff would protect both drivers and passengers by eliminating arbitrary pricing and reducing fare disputes. They note that nearly five lakh families across Tamil Nadu depend directly or indirectly on the auto-rickshaw sector for their livelihood.

Agitation Warning and Assembly Pressure

The Auto-Taxi Workers Association has warned that drivers' associations will launch an agitation if the government fails to make a clear announcement during Friday's Assembly debate. This is a significant escalation — linking a sector-wide industrial action to a specific legislative moment, raising the political stakes for the ruling Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) government ahead of the session.

Notably, this is not the first time unions have raised the demand. The absence of any revision over 13 years — spanning two governments — underscores a pattern of administrative delay on fare regulation that has repeatedly pushed drivers toward informal, dispute-prone pricing.

Bike Taxis in the Crosshairs

Unions have also renewed their demand for tighter regulation of app-based bike taxi services, or a complete ban on their operation. They allege that bike taxi platforms are diverting passengers from auto-rickshaws and eroding drivers' daily earnings. The association urged the government to regulate alternative passenger services as part of any comprehensive sector reform.

Government Meeting Called Ahead of Assembly Session

Transport and Road Safety Commissioner Sigy Thomas Vaidhyan has convened a meeting with auto drivers' union representatives on Thursday to discuss the proposed fare revision and related issues. The agenda is expected to cover the tariff structure, enforcement of metre-based fares, waiting charges, night tariffs, and concerns over bike taxi services. The outcome of Thursday's meeting is likely to shape what the Transport Minister announces in the Assembly the following day.