MANGALURU: Passengers using Mangaluru International Airport (MIA) will shortly be able to avail services of app-based cab aggregators for their commuting needs. With
Airports Authority of India (AAI) that manages MIA green signalling this move, AAI has embarked on the move to ensure
hassle-free commuting and better services to air travellers in the country.
Vasamsetti Venkateswara Rao, airport director, MIA, told reporters on Tuesday that AAI has now decided to expand this pilot to another group of AAI managed airports, MIA included. This will usher in competition among service providers leading to quality service at competitive rates for air travellers and also break monopoly that local taxi drivers have on taxi services to and from airports. “The app-based cab services will now co-exist with local taxi operators,” he noted.
Averring that local taxi operators who presently have a stranglehold on taxi services operating from MIA, Rao said introduction of similar service in Goa, where local operators were ‘strong’ has vastly aided air travellers there. AAI will invite tenders for aggregator services shortly, he said adding MIA will appoint consultant who will help fine tune tender conditions. “We expect the consultant to give a report in 10 days, following which tenders will be called,” he said.
License will be given for period of 3 years. Successful bidders will have to meet tender conditions, especially safety of passengers. Toll free complaint lines will have to be in place to aid passengers’ grievance redressal. AAI tender conditions also fix rate per trip booking for airports based on their classification with minimum of Rs 20 for C/D group of airports, Rs 25 for B category airports, Rs 30 for A category airports and Rs 40 for Kolkata and Chennai airports.
The move by AAI to allow app-based cab services at MIA also gains significance in that Airport Tourist and Taxi Drivers Association (ATTDA) have steadfastly opposed attempts by aggregators to operate and have even sought legal recourse when they did so in the past. A woman passenger who hired an aggregator made headlines when had to face the brunt of
ATTDA members in the not so recent past. AAI is determined to allow air travellers a choice in their means of commute, Rao averred.
