Visakhapatnam: A shortage of prepaid taxis and APSRTC’s city services is giving private cab operators free rein to fleece passengers. The creaming practice is particularly evident at Vizag airport, which, according to Airports Authority of India officials, has emerged the busiest in Andhra Pradesh, handling over 18 lakh passengers in the last fiscal year.
There is a larger number of prepaid taxis at the airport, but the demand for them is high. Air travellers say that not only private cab operators, but pre-paid taxi operators too were resorting to hiking fares arbitrarily, and it was difficult even to get them as they get booked quickly by the time one could collect the baggage and reach the kiosk.
Private cabs outside the airport have been charging Rs 600 to Rs 900 to reach Madhurawada, the actual fare being Rs 300 only. N. Sankar Rao, a passenger, said that when he and his wife landed at Vizag airport from Hyderabad and hired a pre-paid taxi for Muralinagar, hardly 6 km from the airport, though the driver gave them a bill of Rs 200, he took Rs 400 from them citing user charges, baggage charges and other impromptu add-ons. “Why can’t the APSRTC run regular AC bus services to the airport from the RTC Complex and railway station?" he said.
APSRTC regional manager G. Sudesh Kumar said, “We have been operating six city bus services to the airport from the RTC Complex and have been examining the possibility of introducing more city services from the airport to other parts of the city during the peak hours to cash in on demand.”
Vizag airport operates 26 domestic and three international flights by seven airlines in a day, covering 12 domestic destinations and three international.
Apart from the large number of pre-paid taxis, self-driven car facility may also be introduced at Vizag airport, said AAI officials.
