Autorickshaws without working GPS devices will soon stop getting fitness certificates without which they cannot legally drive in Delhi, transport ministry officials said – reviving the policy four years after it was suspended due to the global pandemic.
GPS devices are installed in all of Delhi's 90,000 cars, but only about a tenth of them are functional. (HT archive) {{^userSubscribed}} {{/userSubscribed}} {{^userSubscribed}} {{/userSubscribed}}
“GPS (Global Positioning System) devices are installed in all 90,000 cars in Delhi, but only work in about a tenth of them. We will soon make functional devices mandatory to ensure safety of passengers,” said a Delhi transport department official, who did not wish to be named.
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Transport Minister Kailash Gahlot did not comment on the matter when contacted.
The move is likely to face resistance from Delhi's 90,000 or so drivers, many of whom said installing the devices would impose an “unnecessary compliance burden” and force them to incur recurring expenses that would eat into their income .
Investigations into the blast at the Israeli embassy in Delhi on December 26 last year have underscored the importance of global positioning system (GPS) devices in cars, police and state government officials said, revealing that satellite data had helped officials to accurately locate the autorickshaw used by the suspect around the time of the explosion.
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The Delhi Transport Department on January 27 issued an order directing its autorickshaw unit officials to test GPS devices while checking fitness certificates. Although this prompted several motorists to reinstate the small chips installed next to the fare meter, many unions called on the ministry to reverse the order.
The order was withdrawn on January 29, 2024 after meetings with unions, but Transportation Department officials indicated the order could soon be reissued with a more flexible compliance schedule.
Autorickshaws in Delhi receive fitness certificates at a center in Burari, on the city's northern edge.
The trackers are built into the meter box, state officials familiar with the process said. The heart of the device is essentially a SIM card that only passes satellite and location information and cannot be used for calls, text messages or mobile data. The SIM card sends location information whenever the meter is turned on, regardless of whether the meter is running or not. Of course, the device stops working when the meter is turned off.
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Delhi Integrated Multi-Modal Transit System (DIMTS) Limited, which also operates the city's cluster bus service, monitors the GPS devices at the Kashmere Gate data center.
The SIM card remains active for two years, after which it must be renewed at the Burari center.
Autorickshaw permit licenses in Delhi require everyone to have working GPS devices. Otherwise, permits are invalid. However, there is currently no enforcement.
Since 2011, autorickshaws have to be equipped with these trackers. However, in April 2020, the requirement for proof of fitness no longer applied due to the pandemic.
“During the pandemic, the exercise was stopped to reduce compliance burden,” said one of the transport officials quoted above.
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Autorickshaw unions called the new move “unnecessary”.
Delhi Auto Rickshaw Sangh general secretary Rajendra Soni said the transport department should not introduce GPS devices in autorickshaws as the “three-wheelers are open vehicles” and the device has “no major impact on the safety of passengers”. . “The move will place an unnecessary compliance burden on drivers. So far, for example, the GPS has not helped to find a lost car,” said Soni.
Amit Bhatt, executive director of the International Council on Clean Transportation, said: “An active and functional GPS makes public transport, especially cars and taxis, safer as it acts as a strong deterrent and enforces discipline among the drivers of these vehicles.” The GPS Locations covered by the transport department also help the police in solving a crime involving the movement of autorickshaws. However, there is a need to use the GPS data for planning purposes, enforcement of traffic rules and checking of rule violations to improve the passenger experience.”
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