Delhi: Journey to and from IGI smooth, cabbies happy to be back in business

New Delhi: With domestic flight operations resuming after nearly two months, cab drivers at Indira Gandhi International Airport were glad once again to be the preferred mode of transport for fliers. Passengers arrived in taxis at the airport well ahead of departure times on Monday to beat any possible glitches in the check-in process. Those coming from Gurugram, Noida and Ghaziabad faced no problems at the borders, the online ticket proving sufficient for their passage.
At the airport on Monday morning, TOI saw a heavy rush of taxis, both arriving and leaving IGIA.With Delhi Metro yet to run, most passengers relied on cabs, with even the kaali-peeli cabs finding a large number of takers. The taxi drivers took precautions to quell passenger jitters, installing machines to disinfect the vehicles before and after completing a trip.
“Eight taxis went from the airport to Bareilly in the morning. Cabs have gone even to Mansa in Punjab and Alwar in Rajasthan,” said Naveen Kumar of the taxi union at IGIA. The fares were fixed and included toll amounts. “A ride to Bareilly will cost you Rs 5,500, to Mansa Rs 7,000 and to Alwar around Rs 3,200,” Kumar disclosed.
Other than Ola and Uber, other cab aggregators like Mega and Meru are also present, functioning as usual through the pre-paid counters. “Our fares haven’t changed. We are charging Rs 23 per kilometre and we’ve already had several bookings in the morning,” informed a Mega cab executive at the airport.
A Meru cab executive similarly said that the company hadn’t changed its rates and wasn’t charging any additional amount over the rate. However, a few passengers complained of high fares and preferred to book Ola and Uber cabs, which charged relatively lesser but involved a longer waiting time. “Those cabs take very long to reach the pick-up point, and passengers are being forced to wait in the heat,” the Meru executive said.
He added that there were many passengers who opted for Meru and didn’t mind paying an extra Rs 100 because they were getting a quick getaway from the airport. “Besides, we are regularly disinfecting the vehicles and ensuring that it’s safe for both passengers and drivers to ride in our cabs,” the executive said.
P C Sharma, who reached Delhi from Nagpur, was among those using cabs to reach home. “I wasn’t sure if there would be cabs available,” Sharma said. “On disembarking, I checked the options and chose the one charging me the lowest fare.”