With domestic and international flights picking up, air passengers looking for app-based taxis at Kempegowda International Airport (KIA) are increasingly unhappy with the quality of service. Long waits to book a taxi, drivers demanding additional fares and toll fees even though the latter is included in the bill, cancellations, and not switching on the air-conditioner despite the heat are just some of the grievances raised. Many passengers said that drivers often demand extra money to run the AC.
Recently, a woman passenger narrated her ordeal on social media after she was allegedly harassed by an Ola taxi driver. She claimed the driver had not keyed in the OTP or officially logged in the ride on the app even after they left the airport. Five minutes after leaving KIA, the driver asked for her the location, ₹1,300 as fare, and and extra ₹100 for toll. “I asked him whether he had started the ride and he said he could not start it because of network issues. I kept insisting that he start the ride but he refused. He started negotiating the price with me and kept moving,” she said.
In her post, she said the driver refused to stop despite the fact that she was screaming and shouting for him to do so. “I said I would scream for help from the car if he did not stop and that’s when he said he would drop me back to the airport,” the passenger said, addressing her complaint to Ola.
While airport taxi services are available outside KIA, the fares are high, said another regular traveller. “When I book an Uber from my house to the airport, the fare is never more than ₹900 with toll. But when I take the airport taxi service, I end up paying at least ₹1,200. But it takes so long to get an Ola or Uber,” she said.
Regular commuters, too, are frustrated by the cancellations. Saravan, who recently tried to book an Uber taxi from Cantonment Railway Station, said: “I booked three rides on the mobile app. Drivers called back and asked about the drop destination and then cancelled the booking. It took me an hour to get a taxi.”
AC woes
Another major complaint was drivers refusing to run the car air-conditioner or charging more to do so. The driver comes up with various excuses ranging from ‘the fare does not cover AC’ to ‘the company has instructed us not to as part of COVID-19 regulations’,” said another passenger. Some passengers also said that drivers have displayed a ‘notice’ inside the taxi asking for an additional ₹50-₹100 to run the AC.
‘Income drops drastically’
Drivers, on other hand, said their earnings have dropped significantly due to rising fuel prices and hefty commissions taken by aggregator platforms. “There is fierce competition at Bengaluru airport. One has to wait for hours to get a booking. The return trip from the airport to the city is always a burden for us,” said Ashoka, a taxi driver.
He pointed out that he gets barely ₹8-₹9 per km after commissions. “But the government has fixed ₹18 for non AC and ₹24 for AC as the basic fare. We have to also bear a toll fee of close to ₹100. A few days ago, a passenger booked my taxi from the airport to Banashankari, the fare charged was ₹500. Do you think we can survive with such low earnings when diesel rate is ₹87 per litre? We want the State Government to run a mobile app for the drivers which is beneficial for both passengers and the drivers,” said Mr. Ashoka.
