CEO pays Rs 100 for 500-metre auto ride in Bengaluru, says its just Rs 9 in Mumbai

Most people think Mumbai, the financial capital of India, is an expensive city to live in. However, it seems that it is much cheaper, at least when it comes to auto rides.

According to a CEO of a Mumbai-based company, he paid Rs 100 for just a 500-metre ride in Bengaluru, which is often called the Sillicon Valley of India.

Mandar Natekar, who is the Co-Founder and CEO of NeuralGarage, said the fare is just Rs 9 for the same distance in Mumbai.


"In this photo you will see the most ornamental thing in Bengaluru. The great Auto Meter. So expensive that it never gets used. I just paid 100Rs for a 500 mtrs ride. To give perspective, in Mumbai 100Rs is the meter fare for approx 9 kms," Natekar tweeted along with a picture from inside an auto.

Commenting on the post, Vijay Koshy, president, TVF, said: "It’s practically the same for every city outside Mumbai." Chennai is notorious for its auto rides."

Replying to Koshy, Natekar said: "It is ridiculous to say the least but seems like this highway robbery is no legit. No one bothers."

Another Twitter user also hailed the rickshaws in Mumbai. "Mumbai is the only place in India, where rickshaws function properly on meter. Rest of India is all about loot," he said.

Last year, the Karnataka government raised the metre fares to Rs 30 from Rs 25 for the first two kilometres and the base price per kilometre to Rs 15 from Rs 13.


Last year, the Karnataka state transport department sent a notice to cab aggregator-run autos in Bengaluru to stop services for three days due to the surging prices, following which Ola, Uber and Rapido slashed their base fare to Rs 30 from Rs 60 per ride in Karnataka.

The Karnataka High Court has also capped the convenience fee chargeable by app-based aggregators for autorickshaw services in Bengaluru at 10% of fare.