Pre-paid autos to return to Pune airport from September

PUNE: In a piece of good news for many flyers, the pre-paid autorickshaw service is all set to be revived at the Pune airport by September.
Member of Parliament (MP) from Pune and airport advisory committee chairman Girish Bapat has said that this space will be provided at the under-construction multi-level car parking (MLCP) lot. “Instructions have been given to the airport authorities to ensure that an area in the lot is earmarked for autos. Once the MLCP is ready, they will get their space in it,” Bapat told TOI.
Before the pandemic, there were around 170 auto drivers under the LV Antaral Autorickshaw Sanghatana, who provided pre-paid services to flyers. In August last year, they were evicted from their spot in front of the arrivals gate. Since then, they have not been allowed to operate from inside the gates.
Bapat added, “Apart from pre-paid autos, there will also be space for cab aggregators in the parking lot. The idea is to ensure that passengers can book a cab waiting for them and face hassles. However, we need to make sure there is proper order and no chaos.”
The MLCP, which consists of a ground floor-plus-four-storeyed structure, can accommodate over 1,000 cars and is being built at a cost of Rs120 crore. The project is almost 90% complete and is expected to start functioning from September this year.
Finding public transport to and from the airport has been getting increasingly tough, especially for arriving flyers, who have frequently complained about autos charging abnormal fares, refusing trips and declining to go by meter. Flyers have also expressed concerns about cabs and cited multiple ride cancellations.
Asked about the comeback of pre-paid airport autos, autorickshaw association secretary Prakash Rajguru called it good news and said, “We are relieved, but it needs to be implemented as announced. Our numbers have drastically dropped as many left due to little or no business. We are hounded by other auto drivers operating illegally. We have repeatedly asked why we were removed after more than 10 years of operations at the airport, but no satisfactory answers were provided.”
Flyers, while welcoming the decision, demanded immediate relief. “On more than three occasions over the last six months, I have paid Rs700-800 each time to go from the airport to Pune railway station. When the counter was near the arrival gate, hassles were fewer and flyers would not get into the trap of errant auto drivers. The present chaos to get proper public transport out of the airport puts out a terrible impression of the city,” frequent flyer Ajit Dalwe said.