The Tamil Nadu government has revised auto-rickshaw fares across the state after 13 years, with the new rates notified in the Tamil Nadu Government Gazette on Tuesday.
**Minimum fare doubled**
According to the government notification, the minimum fare for the first 1.8 kilometers has been set at ₹50, with an additional charge of ₹25 for every subsequent kilometer.
The notification, dated October 27, directs the State Transport Authority and the respective Regional Transport Authorities to implement these revised fares for auto-rickshaws operating within their jurisdictions. This order has been issued under Section 67(1) of the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988.
**Night-time and waiting charges also fixed**
For travel in hilly (ghat) areas, the government has set the minimum fare at 1.2 times the standard minimum fare (resulting in a base fare of ₹60), with an additional charge of ₹30 per kilometer for such routes.
Under the revised structure, fares between 10:00 PM and 5:00 AM will be 1.5 times the regular fare. A waiting charge of ₹1 per minute has also been introduced.
The notification specifies waiting charges, night-time fares, and ghat-area charges as distinct components of the revised fare structure. The State Transport Authority and the respective Regional Transport Authorities have been tasked with enforcing these rates for auto-rickshaws operating in the Chennai Metropolitan Area and other regions across Tamil Nadu.
**Previous notifications superseded**
This notification replaces the Home Department’s earlier notifications dated August 25, 2013, and October 16, 2014—both of which were previously published in the Tamil Nadu Government Gazette. This notification also covers auto-rickshaws operating in other parts of Tamil Nadu, in addition to those in the Chennai Metropolitan Area. The order has been issued by A. Karthik, Principal Secretary to the Government of Tamil Nadu. However, the notification issued on October 27 did not specify an effective date.
