Auto, taxi strike called off; govt. okays new fares<br/><br/> <br/><br/>The auto and taxi strike in Mumbai has ended with the Maharashtra government giving in to the demands of the taxi drivers and deciding to increase the fare. <br/><br/>After a meeting with the Mumbai Metropolitan Regional Transport Authority, President of the Mumbai Taximen Union A L Quadros, told reporters in Mumbai today that the base fare of taxis has been increased from the present 14 rupees to 16 and for every subsequent kilometre, the fare has been increased from nine rupees to 10. He added that the night time fare has also been increased by 25 percent.<br/><br/>This decision came following a one-day strike in Mumbai by 80,000 taxi and one lakh auto drivers.<br/><br/>On Tuesday, the government had decided to raise the basic fare of auto rickshaws from s nine to 11 rupees and from 5 to 6 rupees fifty paise for every subsequent kilometer. The fare hike will come into effect from Sunday midnight.