Kolkata: Those booking air-conditioned taxis at the airport on the Yatri Sathi app started paying Rs 70 more from Friday as the airport authorities charged the AC cabs parking fees of Rs 70 per ride.
The fares of AC taxis on state-promoted Yatri Sathi were lower than those on private apps, Uber, Ola and Snap E, till Thursday. The extra Rs 70 on Yatri Sathi AC fares, the gap has shrunk.As a result, many passengers, who would earlier take Yatri Sathi AC cabs from the airport, on Friday opted for private app cabs. “Yatri Sathi AC cabs used to be Rs 100 cheaper. But now that their prices, too, have increased, I booked on Snap E, which had a newer vehicle,” said Debasis Bose, who came from Varanasi on Friday.
TOI found that at 1.30 pm, a Yatri Sathi AC taxi from the airport to the Esplanade crossing, which spanned 17km, cost Rs 499, a Uber AC cab Rs 509, Ola Rs 539 and Snap E Rs 560. The fare for a non-AC Yatri Sathi cab showed Rs 355, as they are not being charged the Rs-70 parking fee.
TOI found cops explaining the new fare system. Some taxi drivers, right from 8.30 am, refused to switch on the AC, when they were told to pay Rs 70 extra. “The drivers feared the parking fee will lead to losses. But we explained the system and ensured they did not charge extra,” said a police officer. The scene normalized around 10am. “The parking fee is less as they are on Yatri Sathi,” said Raju PR of Omega Enterprises that manages airport parking.