Bhubaneswar: With online cabs increasing their market share, the recent contract of Uber and Ola with the Airports Authority of India (AAI) to provide services at select airports including in Bhubaneswar will bring down the parking fee burden on customers.
As per the agreement, these online cab operators would get counters and pick-up points at Chennai, Kolkata, Pune, Lucknow and Bhubaneswar airports. However, Uber, which recently opened its counter at Kolkata airport, faced objections from the metered taxi operators.
In fact, Uber closed the counter for a day and filed a complaint with the Kolkata airport director for ensuring safety of its drivers. Thus the AAI officials here are taking precautions to avoid such instances at Biju Patnaik International Airport (BPIA).
“We will allow these cab operators to open counters at arrival terminals and they will be provided three to five pickup points at BPIA. Apart from travel fare, the online cabs booked from their counter at BPIA, will charge only Rs 20 extra from customers,” said a top official of AAI.
Significantly, this will be a big relief for cab users. Currently, the online cabs inform customers that they will be charged around Rs 50 for picking them from the airport. Absence of a contract with AAI is the major factor which compelled these companies for charging this amount. This apart, the contract would help BPIA generate monthly revenue of about Rs 2 lakh.
“Every month we collect Rs 3 lakh from the airport taxi operators. As per our contract, the online cab operators would pay either Rs 2 lakh or Rs 20 per trip whichever is higher. So, we are taking necessary measures to avoid incidents like the one in Kolkata,” said a top official of BPIA.
Meanwhile, air travelers association suggested that AAI should reconsider the existing parking ticket collection at the airport. “At present, the AAI has given the whole road to the parking contractor. This is unacceptable and unfair. The contractor should be given control only over the parking space and parking fee should be collected only from people who use the parking facility at BPIA,” said convener of Kalinga Air Travellers’ Association Biswajit Mohanty.
Travel agents suggested that AAI should request the service of State Police for managing the parking facility. “Parking fee should be taken from people who use the parking space. However, some people may try to evade parking fee by parking their vehicles outside. Police assistance can be sought impose penalty on these people. This apart, police should also monitor the entry and exit timings of vehicles for imposing penalty and for ensuring safety,” Travel Agents Association of Orissa vice-president Himansu Das said.
Jose K Joseph, OP
