MADURAI: Auto-rickshaw drivers in Madurai petitioned District Collector Nishant Krishna on Monday (October 11), asking him to recommend that the State government review the “Vettri Payanam” free bus travel scheme for women, claiming the extension has badly hit their livelihoods.

Speaking to reporters after submitting the petition at the grievance day meeting, the drivers said women had stopped boarding autos since the scheme was extended to outstation buses, with a 40 km distance restriction.

If they spot a bus, they immediately give up the idea of taking an auto and board the bus instead, the drivers lamented.

They said nearly 16,000 auto drivers and their families depend on their meagre income of Rs 500 per day to manage household expenses and pay their children’s school fees.

The government should therefore review the scheme in a way that does not affect auto-driver families, they said.