The public notice for recalibration given out by the State Transport Authority today gives instructions on ``How to use the fare formula for recaliberation meters: Multiply the meter reading with 2.50 and then add 3.00. If the meter says 2.00, you will need to pay (2.00 x 2.50) + 3.00 = Rs 8.00 p.''

Asks a commuter, ``What if the meter shows 17.60? This has to be multiplied with 2.50 and then you have to add 3 to the amount. It will take an eternity for a normal person to arrive at the answer. This just means we have no way of being sure of the correct fare. We will again have to depend on a chart, which is no better than the current state of things.''

The second part reads: ``If the autorickshaw is with you at any time between 11 pm and 5 am, you will have to pay another 20 per cent. If the meter reading is 2, you will need to pay Rs 8 plus 20 percent of Rs 8, i.e a total of Rs 9.60.''

Asks a layman, typically ignorant of mathematics, ``What if the meter reading is 15.40 ? How much is 20 percent of this amount? Would I not need a calculator?''

A senior official of the Weights and Measures Department, which formulated the recalibration, says, ``Commuters will be provided with a simplified fare chart.''