Suraj (name changed), a resident of Kengeri, would use cabs almost every day to get to work or for last mile connectivity. Since the lockdown relaxations kicked in, he has been thinking twice before taking a taxi.
“Cases in Bengaluru are going up daily, and contacts have been untraceable. How does one know who drivers have come in contact with? Often, drivers do not have the opportunity or time to sanitise the cab immediately after one commuter gets off. So there is a risk,” he said.
Once one of the most popular modes of transport, cabs in the city have been dealing with apprehensions from customers. While shared rides are out of the question, customers are wary of booking a taxi even for a single trip. Drivers are faced with a volley of safety related doubts from passengers.
To get around this, some companies are pushing their dedicated rental plans to convince customers to travel with them.
Taxshe Timeshare, an exclusive women driven shared cabs for communities initiative, is promising one cab for a community of 25 families available for four hours a day. Members can use a pool of 800 km a month between them for short trips in a 5 km radius at a monthly subscription of ₹1,042 per month, per family.
Vandana Suri, founder of Taxshe, said the initiative was launched around three days ago to counter concerns about regular taxi services. “Passengers were unsure of where the cab was coming from, who has travelled by it, and if it is sanitised. Since we announced the community specific service, we are getting quite a few enquiries,” she said.
K. Radhakrisna Holla, president of the Karnataka State Travel Operators’ Association, also said only around 10% of the total number of cabs were running at present. “People are still worried. In addition to this, no company has started full fledged operations. There are a few who are opting for rentals for full month usage or taking cabs on contract. We are ready for rent or contract. Customers have to come forward now,” he said.
Speaking about the lack of work for drivers, he said 80% of them are still idle. “Those who haves some agricultural land have returned to their home town and are doing that for now. Even those who bought new vehicles in recent years are without work, but have to pay EMIs. Expats are the highest number of customers for rental services, but many of them have gone back. We have sought relaxations from the government to tide over the crisis,” he added.
