The autos will be fitted with GPS from March onwards, said officials from the transport department. Delhi Integrated Multi-Modal Transport System (DIMTS), which will carry out the empanelment process, said the entire exercise would take around 40 days.

“We will have to issue a notice giving details of the specifications that the vendors need to meet. Their applications would then be evaluated by us and the entire process is likely to take 40 days. The autorickshaw owners can then get the GPS fitted from these authorised vendors,’’ said a DIMTS official.

The Delhi government has asked DIMTS to work on GPS-enabled meters for the new three-wheeler scooter rickshaws (TSRs). The authorities are working on a comprehensive autorickshaw policy for the addition of 45,000 new autos as per a court directive. “The meters for the new autos will be enabled with GPS and a printer so that commuters can not only have an idea about the route taken but also a receipt for the fare.”

According to a Supreme Court directive, another 45,000 new autos can be added to Delhi’s streets by the Transport department, which gives out the permits. While the department has been working on formulating a new policy for these TSRs, including allowing permits to be given on a first-come-first-served basis, officials said the GPS would be mandatory for permit allocation in the new lot.

Sources said since the new TSRs would be equipped with latest meters, the Transport department was hoping that auto drivers would not object to buying the GPS-enabled meters as they were high-end devices and would not come cheap.