Air travellers who want to hire an app-based taxi to the city are in a fix as the Airports Authority of India (AAI) is yet to formulate a policy to manage these cab operators. Many passengers prefer these cabs to the highly-priced prepaid ones, but authorities are yet to allot a parking space or pick-up points.
Passengers often struggle to locate the cabs that wait outside the airport on GST Road and drive in soon after a booking is made. With no space allocated for these cabs, the drivers look for their customers as they drive in. If the drivers are not able to locate them, they have to leave the premises immediately to avoid paying the parking fee for overstaying beyond the stipulated 10 min utes. And passengers have to walk with the luggage to track the cab and board them.
The informal organisational set-up of cab aggregators like Ola and Uber prevent the management of these firms from taking up the issue with the airport to obtain a parking bay for the cabs near terminals. AAI, on its part, is worried they are osing money because these cab companies don't pay to use their premises to do business.
AAI rules say that any business should pay a service charge to utilise the airport facilities. A AAI senior official said cab aggregators can afford to pay charges to hire space inside the airport. An official with Ola said the cabs operate on demand and help passengers to board without waiting in a queue. He did not comment whether the company is planning to approach the airport to get parking space or pick-up points.
An airport official called it a peculiar situation. “The cab aggregators are not inter ested in taking up parking space inside the airport.They are not bothered where the drivers park and how they pick up passengers.“
Airport director Deepak Shastri said, “We are yet to take a decision about these cabs, which require more space, and it's a constraint at Chennai airport. AAI is working to sort out other urgent issues at the terminals.“
Air Passenger Association of India national president D Sudhakara Reddy said passengers had not complained, but the airport should take a decision to manage taxis.
