While the murder of Visakhapatnam jeweller Manoj Kumar Grandhi highlights the need for passenger safety, taxi owners' associations point out that more often than not it is three passengers against one driver, and sometimes the safety of the driver is also a concern.
Among many other incidents, they cite the experience of Krishna (40) as an example. What was supposed to be a routine trip for the cabbie — drive two men from Bangalore to Hyderabad — turned into a nightmare.
“My guard was up at the start itself when they insisted on picking them up a few roads away from the hotel where they supposedly stayed,” said Krishna.
His suspicions were reinforced when, through the journey, the men repeatedly offered him cool drinks, though he repeatedly refused citing a throat infection. Moreover, the men insisted on staying the night at a small lodge in Kurnool.
“They refused to take two rooms. Instead made me sleep in the same room with them,” Krishna said.
He woke up the next day only to discover that the men had locked him in and fled with his belongings.
Though his wallet was stolen, he said the men could not take the car as he usually slept with the car key under his pillow.
“I'm just lucky they weren't violent men,” he said.
Vulnerable drivers
Tourist taxis, like the one Krishna drove, are often taken to remote places, or travel through remote places to reach their destinations.
And often, the driver is outnumbered by the passengers.
This vulnerability was capitalised by a seven-member gang, arrested last month by the Bangalore police, for killing taxi drivers and then fleeing with the cars.
In October 2011, the gang allegedly murdered driver Vinod Kumar in Bagalur on the outskirts of the city before dumping his body in a lake.
A month later, the gang allegedly killed Krishna, who was hired to drive to Kolar Gold Fields. After dumping his body in a forest, it fled with his vehicle.
“There have been many cases, almost once a month, where a driver has been accosted by passengers who look to steal the vehicle,” said K. Radhakrishna Holla, general secretary, Bangalore Tourist Taxi Owners Association. From his own travel agency, Mr. Holla said around five vehicles were reported stolen last year.
Background check
Though most vehicles from the bigger travel agencies are fitted with GPRS that keeps a track of the taxi, many smaller agencies — especially, the ones that operate around some Gandhinagar hotels — still have not installed the system, said Mr. Holla.
“We do a background check on our customers, especially when they pay in cash.
“In some cases, we have found them using fake identity cards,” he said.
Though the bigger agencies can pick and choose customers, smaller agencies can't afford to be picky.
Mr. Holla said that it was imperative for all cabs to install GPS —– where the movements of the cab can be tracked — for the safety of both drivers and passengers.
This story has been corrected for a factual error.
