Kolkata’s last-mile lifeline gets costlier after auto LPG price rise
Times of India | 12 March 2026
Kolkata: A sharp Rs 5 per litre increase in auto LPG prices pushed nearly 40% of the city's auto-rickshaws off their usual routes, triggering a commuting crisis across several neighbourhoods and a fare hike on the outskirts. Long queues of passengers were seen at major auto stands on Wednesday as the demand–supply gap widened, leaving thousands of commuters stranded or forced to wait far longer than usual.
Autos are the second-largest mode of public transport in the metropolitan area after buses and serve as the single biggest source of last-mile connectivity for millions of daily commuters. With nearly 97% of autos running on LPG, the sudden rise in fuel prices and difficulty in accessing refills severely disrupted services.
The situation worsened as drivers spent hours waiting at LPG pumps, often travelling far beyond their designated routes to refuel. Many operators chose to suspend services for part of the day or shorten their routes to reduce losses.
"Half of the day is spent fetching LPG. We often have to travel beyond our route just to find a pump that still has gas," said Barid Ghosh, an auto driver operating on the Behala–Rashbehari route. "Several stations go dry quickly because autos are trying to fill full tanks. If we run the entire route in this situation, we will only bleed money."
Drivers said that until Tuesday they spent between 40 minutes and nearly 2-and-a-half hours waiting for refills. On Wednesday, long queues stretching 300 to 400 metres were seen outside several filling stations, including pumps near Behala Chowrasta and New Town. Autos operating from interior neighbourhoods to areas like Sarsuna, Boral, Tollygunge and Baghajatin were among the worst affected. Many vehicles simply did not return to service after exhausting their fuel.
While fares in many outskirts already increased, the All India Trinamool Trade Union Congress (AITTUC), which controls several auto unions, refused to allow a fare hike within the city limits. As a result, drivers said they were forced to truncate routes to offset their losses. "No auto ran the full route today," said an operator on the Behala–Rashbehari corridor. "Vehicles that normally run till Rashbehari are stopping at New Alipore because the fuel cost increased sharply."
Some routes already witnessed unofficial fare increases. From Wednesday morning, the fare on the Chingrighata–SDF route rose by Rs 3 per passenger, taking the cost from Rs 15 to Rs 18. Passengers in Boral and Garia also alleged that drivers charged Rs 10 to Rs 15 extra during evening hours. CM Mamata Banerjee, speaking at Nabanna, acknowledged reports of fare increases and said the govt asked fuel suppliers to ensure that drivers were "not robbed of their livelihood but I strongly feel that this is not the time for a fare hike."
Commuters said the shortage of autos significantly increased waiting times at major stands. "I had to wait for over 40 minutes at Tollygunge Metro to get an auto for Sakherbazar," said Sutirtha Banerjee, a resident of Silpara.