Recalibration Process Of Auto Taxi in Mumbai

“The second recalibration process of Auto Taxi used as public transport vehicles in Mumbai has been done in 2014. A simple process of upgrading the current fares to the newly decided once with important steps and norms to be followed by every Auto Taxi owner and get ready to charge the extra fares upon recalibration process and verifications done. August 2014, Mumbai High Court ordered and fixed Charges of Rs.500 compared to Rs.450 previously done, to be given by vehicle owners. Below are complete details related to the recalibration process and things commuters/travellers/passengers have to understand to not get cheated while the things are done..”

Updates 2018 : February 2018, Few commuters observed that the Auto fares were not shown perfect and bit on higher side compared to regular when in couple of Auto’s. Many complained and it was revealed that after recalibration, which was considered ‘END OF METER TEMPERING’, cheating is possible.

Some red button near driver area when pressed, Meter reading jumps and fares get increased. This button trigger process shows much higher meter reading and total fare when reached the destination.

Digital Meters Sample
Digital Meters Sample

5 Steps Recalibration Process in 2014

  1. Once it is decided and agreed upon by RTO, Union and High Court on what updated fares to be charges to passengers, the process of removing old seal and chip and adding the new revised once is followed.
  2. Only restricted few authorised dealers are allowed to remove the old meter seal, So in the series decided Auto and Taxi drivers make their first step move to them. RTO decides on registration number series like MH01, MH02 etc to queue up on days decided to do the needful process. This time 45 days have been decided by RTO departments to finish complete process.
  3. Once the old seal is removed, the Recalibration Authorised dealers add the updated fare individually designed chip for Auto and Taxi (Since all the meters are Digital E-meter now) and put up the new seal. The vehicle owners pay the decided fees i.e Rs.500 this time and the new meter gets tested at level 1 by dealer himself, But its still not done.
  4. Next comes the inspection stage 2 where the authorized / certified government agencies in Mumbai for E-Meter testing etc will conduct another test and gives its clearance. They have rights to reject any meter which seems not functioning and displaying exact fares upon recalibration process. Else the approval is done for Owner to go for another test.
  5. This time RTO comes into picture for the final test and approval. A practical real time road test of 1.5 km is done for fare accuracy at respected RTO offices to confirm the practical working conditions of newly added e-meter chip. Once done the vehicle is free to move on road with updated fares that can be charges.

Auto Taxi Related Number Crunch

  • 90,000 is the numbers of Autos and 40,000 is Taxi running daily for public in Mumbai.
  • 45 Days is the total permitted limit within which all of these meters to be upgraded, Which goes to about 5,000 to 6,000 meters per day.
  • 4 is the number of Authorized (Certified) test agencies for the above figures.
  • 125 dealers in Mumbai currently authorized to work on recalibration process.
  • Rs.700 is the fine for first 7 days upon crossing the 45 days limit if any Auto / Taxi didn’t finish the process. That too with permit suspension for 7 days. Rs.50 extra for every next day after.
  • Owners are not allowed to charge new fares without updating the e-meter.
  • 1800220100 is the toll free number to call upon to complain about new fares been charges without recalibration done.
  • 19th August 2014 is when the process begin with series ‘0’.
  • Rs.17 is the minimum Auto fare that can be seen on Digital meters after.



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Greetings, I am Deven, the founder of Mumbai77. With immense passion, I have dedicated my full-time efforts to continuously learn and update important information about Mumbai city. Currently, I am a full-time blogger residing in Mumbai. Since its establishment on July 7, 2007, Mumbai77 has attracted millions of pageviews. Our website aims to provide valuable information, including my personal reviews and experiences, to assist individuals worldwide in their search for updated information about Mumbai city.

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