With no walkalator for passengers to go from one terminal to another, Chennai airport authorities have increased the number of battery-operated golf carts on the premises.
Passengers say this is a much-needed service, as the distance between the terminals is huge.
Rama Venkat, a passenger who was to fly to Mumbai said, “I had to take an international flight routed via Mumbai. Accidentally, instead of going to the old international terminal, I went to the new domestic terminal. The golf cart came to my rescue, and took me to the other terminal. It would have been very difficult to walk such a huge distance with my baggage in this heat.”
Since it may take at least another year for the walkalator to be installed at the airport, this facility will offer temporary relief to passengers, said an official of the Airports Authority of India (AAI).
“The walkalator could not be installed because of the on-going metro rail work. Once that is completed, the walkalator will be installed,” he said.
Earlier, the golf carts were 4-seater vehicles. Now however, Carrieall Car Pvt. Ltd, the firm that runs the service, provides 6-seater and 14-seater vehicles. The service is free for all passengers, while the company pays AAI a rent.
“We pay around Rs. 10, 000 a month as rent for the four-seater vehicle. For the other two, we are working out terms and conditions with AAI and will settle on rates next week. Also, we have sought permission from AAI to introduce six more vehicles and to stretch the distance the vehicle travel to the autorickshaw drop-off point,” said S. Shankar, managing director of Carrieall.
There are around 43 such carts operating at Delhi airport, he added.
