Online taxis based in 16 Kochi metro stations in the Aluva-Maharaja’s College Ground corridor will provide last-mile connectivity to commuters from March.
They can also set up a manned or unmanned kiosk in each station, to provide help to commuters and those who do not have smartphones. As per plan, Uber will operate from 13 stations, Ola from one and Vehicle ST, a start-up venture, will have cabs based in two stations. The KMRL would earn ₹38 lakh in the coming year from contracts that will be inked shortly with the three firms, said a spokesperson of the metro agency.
Metro rail systems in Chennai, Bengaluru, etc., have roped in online taxis to operate feeder trips. Pool services of online cabs are high in demand to operate first and last-mile trips to and from metro stations, bringing about seamless travel. It also lessens congestion, pollution and parking problems caused by reliance on private vehicles.
“While there will not be dedicated parking space in metro stations, our cabs will be available at stations or in their vicinity, to ferry metro commuters based on footfalls expected on working days/weekends/holidays and peak hours,” said a senior official of an online cab firm.
The stationing of online cabs in metro stations can be tracked by an app using which availability of private buses running in different routes can also be tracked from April. The buses will be GPS enabled, making it convenient to track them. The KMRL has also drawn up plans to rope in autorickshaws to operate feeder trips to provide first and last-mile connectivity to metro commuters.
Electric autos, which cause no air and sound pollution and have rock bottom operational expenses, too have been envisaged.
Even as online cabs are gearing up to operate feeder services from Kochi metro stations, opposition from auto driver unions to space being allotted in the two railway stations in Ernakulam continues.
Their boycott of the pre-paid autorickshaw counter in Ernakulam Town is continuing for the past two months in protest against dedicated space given to park online cabs. But an online cab firm, which won the bid, is operating services to and from the station.
“This makes train commuters vulnerable to fleecing by unscrupulous drivers of autos parked outside the station. In Ernakulam Junction, we allotted space to an online cab firm to set up a kiosk in platform one since auto unions opposed setting up a kiosk at the entrance. There is also a dedicated area from where commuters can board online cabs,” said a Railway official.
“As per the Railway Board’s policy, commuters must be given multiple options of public transport. Auto driver unions cannot dictate terms on the issue. With the three-month tender period ending shortly, we will invite fresh bids from online cabs. The local police must pro-actively intervene and prevail on auto drivers who create problems on railway station premises,” he said.
An office-bearer of the Ernakulam District Auto Drivers’ Association (CITU) said that auto drivers opposed canvassing of passengers by employees of online cabs.
