NOIDA: Passengers heading to the Noida International Airport will largely depend on cabs, bike taxis, and private vehicles when commercial operations start, with metro connectivity and direct bus services still years away.To bridge the gap, the airport has partnered with Mahindra Logistics Mobility to deploy electric taxis and with ride-sharing platform Rapido to offer bike taxis and cabs directly from the airport premises. Both services will operate round-the-clock, with dedicated pick-up and drop-off points at arrivals and departures.Read more: Noida International Airport Inauguration Live Updates:With the airport expected to serve a 150-kilometre catchment spanning 24 districts across UP, Delhi, Haryana, and Rajasthan, UPSRTC has announced plans to connect the airport with 17 western UP districts, including Meerut, Aligarh, Agra, and Mathura, with possible extensions to Gurgaon and Faridabad.UPSRTC regional manager Manoj Kumar said dedicated airport services are being explored. “Depending on demand, the double-decker buses can also be extended to connect with Jewar,” he said.In Feb last year, NIA also signed an MoU with Uttarakhand Transport Corporation for air-conditioned bus services to Dehradun, Rishikesh, Haridwar, and Haldwani, likely to begin alongside flight operations.Three industrial authorities — Noida, Greater Noida, and Yamuna — had planned to launch 500 city buses jointly, but the proposal has stalled over high viability gap funding burdens, infrastructure gaps, and delays in forming a Special Purpose Vehicle.But with no metro link, no direct bus service, and auto-rickshaws barred from expressways, getting there remains a problem it has yet to solve.The disconnect is most visible at Botanical Garden — the key interchange connecting DMRC’s Blue Line and Aqua Line, roughly 65 kilometres from the airport. Despite being the region’s primary transit hub, it has no direct bus link to Jewar. Shuttles and buses run only as far as Pari Chowk, where passengers must find their own onward transport. “We have not received any directions to extend services till Jewar,” said Sumit Kumar, a shuttle driver who charges Rs 30 per person for the Botanical Garden-Pari Chowk run.A handful of UPSRTC buses from Sector 37 pass through Jewar en route to Agra, Aligarh, and Meerut, but residents say the service is too unreliable for air travellers. “Delays in roadways buses can result in missed flights. Authorities must introduce dedicated bus services,” said KK Jain, general secretary of FONRWA.Auto-rickshaws, a critical last-mile option across the city, are barred from the Noida and Yamuna expressways and face fines of Rs 20,000 for violations. “In Delhi, autos can go to the airport. Authorities should consider relaxing norms,” said Omprakash Gurjar, president of the Noida Auto Union.
