Passengers relying on private taxi aggregators to reach their destinations from the Visakhapatnam international airport are facing inconvenience, with the authorities denying entry of cabs being operated by Ola and Uber into the airport.
Cashing in on the situation, the local taxis are fleecing the passengers by charging the fare as per their whims and fancies, the passenger allege.
“Local taxis are demanding more than double the fare charged by Ola and Uber cabs. Sometimes, we end up paying more on taxis than on flight tickets purchased during discount sales and special offers. The taxi aggregators are now being stopped outside the toll booth, which is about a half-a-km from the terminal building, forcing us to walk all the way with our luggage to catch a cab,” a passenger laments.
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On the other hand, the drivers of taxi aggregators allege that they are being forced to pay entry fee at the airport.
“The toll gate staff are forcing us to pay ₹55 as the entry fee for picking up passengers from the terminal building. Even if we return within the stipulated 10 minutes after dropping and picking up new customers, we are made to pay the same fee. Both Uber and Ola drivers are facing the same problem,” says Naresh, an Uber cab driver.
According to the drivers, the entry fee should not be collected if they return from the airport within the stipulated 10 minutes.
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“We are ready to pay the toll fee if we fail to pick up passengers and return within 10 minutes. We had organised a 10-day protest on the issue in the past, but to no avail,” says Lakshminarayana, a cab driver who works for Ola and Uber, adding that though the entry fee is included in the fare by the taxi aggregators, they are being forced to pay the same from their pockets as the passengers are refusing to pay additional amount.
‘Licence fee not paid’
However, the airport authorities justified the ban. “The taxi aggregators are denied entry as they refused to pay the license fee to the Airport Authority of India (AAI). They are collecting entry charges from customers, but unwilling to pay license fee,” Airport Director G. Prakash Reddy tells The Hindu .
There are two local taxi services operating from the airport and they are paying the fee. Ola is now being allowed for pick-ups as they have paid the fee. However, Uber is yet to pay the same, he says.
“We are facing problems with Uber even at the Chennai airport too,” he says.
The passengers booking on the Uber app can find that the pick up point for them is away from the terminal building. Uber , however, is allowed to drop passengers at the regular alighting point near the airport terminal building, Mr. Reddy adds.