Parking Charges at Ahmedabad Airport on Fire with privatisation : Five minutes time allocated for free pickup drop ,but it hardly matters to Parking people.

Prepaid taxi charges at SVP airport in Ahmedabad are likely to rise from April 1, with the airport operator wanting a bigger pie from the facility it extends, making every taxi trip costlier for passengers. More than 225 prepaid cabs operate at the Ahmedabad airport. Taxi unions have voiced their disapproval of the proposed hike in fixed charges, calling it exorbitant.

Taxi associations at the airport, some of which have been negotiating with the operator Adani Airports, claim that the latter is demanding between Rs 150 and 200 as fixed charge from every prepaid-taxi trip allowed to operate from the airport. The associations claim that a fixed charge of Rs 150 is already being taken from passengers for every taxi trip, of which the association gets Rs 30 while the airport operator gets Rs 120.
The fixed charge referred to is the amount levied over and above the taxi’s destination mileage fare.

“The operator is now asking for the entire Rs 150 or are likely to demand even Rs 175 per trip from cab owners. If we add our Rs 30 charge per trip it will be the end of the taxi operators at the airport. They want to make the associations defunct and taxi drivers not to have a voice. Passengers believe that taxi drivers are fleecing them, but it is we who are being charged heavily by the airport operator,” a taxi operator who is part of the association told Mirror.

Merubhai Bharwad, president of Amdavad Airport Taxi Owners’ Association, said, “They are likely to increase the charge on a prepaid taxi trip to Rs 160 or more. There are other private taxi services operating from inside. They charge about Rs 1,000 for a trip from the airport to IIMA. Of the Rs 1,000, the operator keeps Rs 300 for itself. The private taxis also pay the operator a monthly rent of Rs 4 lakh to Rs 5 lakh for an office in the premises. We earlier charged Rs 400 for an airport to IIMA trip, but it has now gone up to Rs 600 because of the per trip charge we have to pay back. In the end, the passenger will foot the extra charge.”

Bharwad said the airport operator has been taking a fixed charge of Rs 120 from the time it took the contract, but has decided to increase it to Rs 160.

Taxi drivers have alleged that the management has cut a deal with a private operator and demanded 30% of its business, thereby entering the taxi business itself.

Cab drivers, some of whom have been plying the SVP airport route for the past two-three generations, claim the new charge will kill their business even as passengers suffer from the price increase.

Ola, Uber and pvt cars to pay more

Ride hailing firms like Uber and Ola and private vehicles will also have to pay Rs 90, which the passengers have to bear, if they take more than five minutes for pick up and drop passengers as per the new rules.

Adani Group stand: Facilities upped, touts banished

Meanwhile, Adani Group spokesman said in a statement, “We are upgrading most of the passenger related amenities that includes organising parking zones. With the passenger traffic gradually improving, steps are being taken to smoothen vehicular movement as well as decongest the pick-up and drop points. To enhance the overall experience, we have provided dedicated parking facilities and pick-up points for app-based cab services. A dedicated pre-paid taxi counter has been set up and dedicated pick-up and drop points have been created for auto-rickshaws to stop touting activity that happened earlier. Now, passengers also have the facility to use free electric sedan car service as a shuttle service for transfers between Terminal 1 to Terminal 2.

“We have decided to upgrade our services continuously and to ensure the utmost safety and security within the airport premises, we have revised our parking charges, effective April 1, 2021 It also did not respond to a query on allowing only 5 minutes for pick up and drop for radio cabs and private cars.

Frequent travellers disappointed

Rhea Vishal Patel (28), Asia Projects Manager for a German company and resident of Himmatnagar who was at the SVP Airport on Saturday said, “We are already paying a heavy charge for booking prepaid rides at the Ahmedabad airport. We pay even for the return fares. An additional charge will be too heavy for passengers.”

Patel travels once a month from Ahmedabad airport.

Nitesh Patel (39), a businessman and resident of Shahibaug, said, “Before the lockdown I travelled twice every month between Ahmedabad and Mumbai for personal reasons, but no longer because of the Covid-19 situation in Mumbai. I believe that Rs 150 is a stiff charge for a short trip to my place from the airport.”
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