Shared auto stands outside metro stations barely functioning

Below the metro rail stations of Lines 2A and 7 are blue-coloured boards depicting an auto rickshaw and the words ‘Share Auto Stand’ with a QR code and fare. However, there are barely any autos queuing up for passengers - a pointer to the poor last-mile connectivity at metro stations on the 20 km-long Andheri (W)-Dahisar-Gundavali route.

STRAP: Last-mile connectivity is still a huge problem, say commuters

Shared auto stands outside metro stations barely functioning

MUMBAI: Below the metro rail stations of Lines 2A and 7 are blue-coloured boards depicting an auto rickshaw and the words ‘Share Auto Stand’ with a QR code and fare. However, there are barely any autos queuing up for passengers—a pointer to the poor last-mile connectivity at metro stations on the 20 km-long Andheri (W)-Dahisar-Gundavali route.

The situation on Metro 3 or the Aqua Line is just as bad. However, authorities claimed they were in talks to set up shared auto stands at 20 locations on the Aarey-BKC route.

Hindustan Times visited multiple stations along the two metro corridors, and noted that there were just a few stations such as Andheri (W), Aarey, Kurar, Lower Oshiwara and Jogeshwari East where rickshaws had lined up at the shared auto stands.

In August 2023, the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Transport Authority had approved shared auto-taxi stands outside 28 metro stations on lines 2A and 7 in order to provide last-mile connectivity to passengers. Sources in the Regional Transport Office (RTO) said that surveys were conducted at 17 metro stations on Line 2A and 14 stations on Line 7, after which 90 shared auto routes were given the go-ahead. Boards indicating available parking space for autos and taxis and even drop off and pick up points are all in place at these metro stations.

About 3,000 autos were expected to be deployed on these feeder routes. Each stand was expected to have four to six autos waiting for passengers but this did not happen. “We will check the reasons for shared autos not taking off the way we anticipated,” said an RTO official.

Vishwas A, a resident of Dahisar who travels to his workplace in Goregaon by metro, said that regular autos waited for fares at the share auto stands. “There are shared autos boards but there are no stipulated routes that they ply on,” he said. “The regular auto drivers refuse fares and only ply where they want to as is their wont.”

There are a staggering 2,60,000 autos plying on Mumbai’s roads, of which around 100,000 operate on shared routes. “Most of these shared routes starting from metro stations do not have a stand at the terminating destination,” said Thampy Kurien, auto union leader, by way of explanation. “Moreover, unlike railway stations, the footfall is meagre.”

Meanwhile, the Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation (MMRC) operating the Metro 3 underground corridor is working to provide last-mile connectivity through shared autos. “We are coordinating with various stakeholders to develop 20 shared auto routes in areas close to the stations from Aarey to BKC,” said an MMRC official. “The process is currently on.”

MMRC is also working on improving the footpaths around metro stations from BKC to Acharya Atre Chowk station in Worli. This route is part of Phase 2 of the underground metro, and is expected to open in March.