This makes way too much sense to actually happen.

When everyone is busy trying to screw the other guy it can get confusing.

Calcutta taxi drivers (never used a rickshaw there) are difficult to deal with - prices often have little to do with the meter.

Mandated signs of the minimum fare and fare per mile traveled can found in all autos plying in the Indian cities. The problem is the inability or unwillingness to enforce the rules by the law enforcement authorities due to excessive political interference and militant trade unionism.

I see the retrograde attitude of the auto operators is driving lot of commuters to use excellent metered call taxi service at least in Bangalore and Mumbai both for safety, comfort and economy.

Three wheeler auto are highly polluting, very noisy, extremely unsafe and at the mercy of elements. It is matter of time before this mode of public transport is phased out of big cities.

>quarreling between the auto drivers and the passengers regarding the price

In some cultures, this might be construed as merely negotiating the price, and considered "the way things are done", without the negative connotation of 'quarreling'.

In other cultures, the total tariff is politically determined (pay-to-play license/shakedown/bribe), requiring surcharges above the legal tariff, from a pure business sense.

And then there is the "exploit the stranger" tariff.

An engineering solution, metering fuel, might not cover the realities of culture, politics and/or business to a degree sufficient to change things.

Whatever the culture the laws of nature is same.Scientific principles also same.Only political systems differ due to level of intelligence or civilisation and composition of different races.In any country the fare should be based on fuel price,cost of spares,driver,s wages,taxes,road condition(city or rural) etc. In some countries anyone who posses a driving licence can drive a taxi or auto.In fact those who deal with public should be interviewed by police/traffic officers regarding location of roads/lanes,speed limits,road manners,languages they can speak,traffic rules,politeness etc.Many auto/taxi drivers may be criminals or have connections with criminals like snatch thieves,kidnappers etc to whom they give information on possible victims.

I do not agree that it is an issue of "outdated tariff system and so, auto driver's demand a higher rate..."

The existing metered fare of auto is reasonable enough and is a very simple method.

The basic problem at Chennai is the extreme case of public transport auto rickshaw operators unionized with high degree of political support, holding hapless public to ransom with law enforcement hand in glove with offenders, looking conveniently the other way.

No technology can be useful when public servant do not inspire trust and confidence with decent and desirable behavior. No society can progress and thrive unless the community interest in put ahead of ones own.

I am an Indian and visited Chennai as I studied at IIT, M around 1965-70. Since then I have visited Chennai and every time this argument is there with Auto / taxi drivers. It is a political issue. The auto / taxi meters are being tampered with - even if the driver uses meter. Now a days people have become so intelligent - that with connivance of meter manufacturers - even electronic meters are tampered. It is a question of ethics of young software professionals too.

So it is a more larger issue and not a question f designing meters - whatever may be the basis you can think of. So forget looking for a solution and look for another problem. It involves DMK, AIADMK, SC/ST dowtrodden upliftment etc etc It is too very complex problem- nothing to do with electronics.

At least now we should accept that the curse of the third world is democracy known as one man-one vote system where an intelluctual as well as an idiot have each one vote. In a rich nation like america with scientifically advanced society where language and religion are not important it doesn't matter who comes to power.But in poor third world countries like india,srilanka,pakistan etc a wrong decision based on religion,language or caste system could ruin the nation. when Ghandhi was not allowed to travel with englishmen in the first class railway compartment in south africa he came to india and said whites should leave india.If he is alive today he will know how his followers enjoy democracy & freedom.

Voters in the US are generally a stupid lot (I am American so don't get excited).

Just watch and read about the current election. Probably 90% should not be allowed near a voting booth!

what exactly is the question?

This should be addressed by the Govt of India as Engineers and Scientists have no say in the administration of nation controlled by politicians.Some politicians do not like to remove slums from the city as those living there may support a certain political party and could be used for racist activities with the support of police and armed forces.In the neighbouring country,Srilanka,there are no meters on autorickshaws and the drivers can charge any amount especially from minority groups who do not speak their language.if you bargain with drivers you won't be able to get into any auto. Drivers say meters do not record accurately the distance travelled as it depends on the condition of the tyre.

Is that principle accepted in developed countries?.Why the britishers introduced democracy to people who are not fit for it?

Yes, it is the Government's responsibility to set this and many other public business standards and most importantly to fairly enforce these standards. But to say that that Engineers and Scientists should have no say in what and how Government should set these standards is worse than arrogant. It's stupid.

Engineers and Scientists are citizens, too. All citizens should be allowed to state their opinions. I do agree that not all citizens comments should have the same weight for the politicians to make a decision. The Engineers and Scientists contracted to do an analysis on a proposal should have more merit than an uninformed citizen because presumably the formal analysis would have access to all relevant information. But all citizens should be heard none the less.

Hello,

I read all your comments and thank you.. A common theme that emerged out of those was the issue of improper governance.. which has no immediate solution, as I see it.

But I'm hoping for a way of making things a little better that can be implemented in a short span. Normally the reason given by the auto drivers for charging higher rates is increased fuel prices..then isn't it logical to standardize the meters on the basis of the fuel prices..?

I would also like to bring this discussion to the feasibility of such a meter.. After doing some consultations, I found that to know the fuel level, a level sensor is needed which can be inaccurate on a moving vehicle... Is there an alternative ?

Thank you.

Rickshaw & taxi rates are a political thing - no change until the drivers go on strike for a few days. Think you can change that?

Your fundamental problem is a purely political problem. Any "engineering" fixes must have all parties agree, thus it will remain a political problem. From a purely engineering perspective, you will have to find a way to measure the fuel consumption only while carrying a passenger. Changing the mode from passenger carrying to dead heading is an easy task of pressing a button. But as you've noticed, finding a method to measure the amount of fuel consumed is very difficult mainly because of the wide variety of fuel dispensing mechanisms (gravity fed carburetor, bypass regulated fuel pump, closed loop fuel pump, etc.)

But look at the repercussions that your proposal will cause. Naturally the fuel metered approach must provide enough added profit to pay for the fuel consumed during dead heading travel or your taxi driver will go broke when the meter only covers passenger fuel. There will now be an incentive to consume the most amount of fuel per paying traffic route. Likely these taxis will now have an added link to turning on the meter to partially closing the choke and thus making these engines run very rich. Engines running extremely rich will dump even more pollutants into the air than you have now. By measuring the distance traveled combined with an idle time fee, the taxi owner will have an incentive to run this machine as efficiently as practical.

Any method chosen to set the taxi fee can be modified to game the system. People will maximize their profit no matter what method gets used. You are just trying to change the method to suit your idea about what should set the major expense for a taxi owner. But as your initial question points out there are many other expenses in operating these machines, not the least the cost of purchasing these machines in the first place.