STAFF REPORTER
GUWAHATI: Guwahati's public transport system had no shortage of rules, but their impact on the roads remained questionable. Mandatory fare meters for non-app-based auto-rickshaws, operating norms for green city buses and an impending route framework for e-rickshaws were among the measures prescribed by the transport authorities. Yet commuters continued to face arbitrary auto fares, while e-rickshaws operated on highways and city roads without designated routes. Green city buses also faced complaints over alleged rash driving and other violations.
The disconnect between regulation and enforcement had emerged as one of the biggest challenges confronting Guwahati's public transport network, which catered to thousands of commuters every day.
Official data from the District Transport Office (DTO), Kamrup (Metro), showed that as of 2025, Guwahati had around 2,900 registered passenger e-rickshaws, 2,800 auto-rickshaws, 3,386 buses, around 7,500 taxis, including app-based services, and 1,445 maxi taxis.
The DTO maintained that the existing fleet could meet the city's transport requirements if the prescribed norms were followed. However, enforcement remained a challenge.
For auto-rickshaws, the DTO said fare meters were mandatory for vehicles not operating through apps. Officials said drivers could be fined for not using meters and that fitness certificates were not issued without their installation. However, an auto-rickshaw driver told The Sentinel that although he had installed a meter, he did not use it, claiming there was little pressure to operate according to it. He also questioned the prescribed fare of Rs 10 per kilometre.
"If everything goes well as per the market pricing, we don't have any problem with that, we are okay with the fare meter," he said, adding that meter-based fares could end bargaining with passengers.
E-rickshaws presented another regulatory gap. The DTO said no designated routes currently existed for them, resulting in the vehicles operating on highways as well as city roads.
The department was preparing an SOP to introduce designated routes. "We are preparing a standard operating procedure (SOP) for e-rickshaws and we will very soon submit that to the district commissioner in Guwahati as he is the chairman of DTO. As soon as we submit the SOP, e-rickshaws will operate via designated routes," the official said.
Drivers, however, feared restrictions could hit their earnings. One driver said banning them from city roads or highways would make it difficult to sustain their livelihoods.
Green city buses also remained under scrutiny. The DTO said an SOP was already in place and licence seizure was prescribed for violations. A security personnel at the DTO premises said around three to four green city buses were seized every day and kept there for several days. Bus drivers, however, argued that some violations were linked to blocked lanes and operational pressures.
With thousands of vehicles operating across Guwahati, the continuing gap between rules and enforcement left commuters facing uncertainty over fares, routes and road safety, raising questions over whether existing enforcement measures were sufficient to regulate the city's public transport system.
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