Nagpur: The prepaid taxi services has brought much-needed relief to passengers alighting at Nagpur railway station as it saves them the trouble of pulling heavy luggage for a km under scorching sun or rains to hail a ride. Passengers are finding the cab booking process seamless. For Alankar, a passenger who reached the station on Sunday, the prepaid cab service is very reliable. “The fares are fixed as per approved rates, and the booking process at the station is simple and convenient,” said Alankar.“Now, we don’t have to go outside the railway station to find a cab. It has made travel from the railway station convenient,” said another passenger Himanshu Gujjar.The encouraging response during the three-day dry run augurs well for the service provider, Bharat Cabs Online, before the full rollout from June 15. The service provider claimed it took less than two minutes for the passengers to scan QR codes and book cabs before rolling out of the railway station during the dry run.The cabs are stationed with pickup points clearly marked at the front porch near platform number 1, offering comfort, especially for senior citizens, women, families with children, and those with mobility challenges. “The cabs will be fully operating from Nagpur railway station immediately and from Itwari railway stations in the coming days,” said a source.Railway authorities, including divisional railway manager, Central Railway, Nagpur division, Vinayak Garg, and senior divisional commercial manager Aman Mittal, oversaw the dry run in coordination from the Regional Transport Office (RTO). “With more drivers onboarding daily, the service is poised for expansion. Integration with other operators could further boost availability,” said Garg.TOI has repeatedly highlighted how discontinuation of app-based cab service around October 2024 had left passengers at the mercy of autorickshaw operators for nearly 18 months. Past attempts to introduce app-based or prepaid cabs faced stiff opposition from prepaid auto-rickshaw unions.“One standout feature of the revived service is its transparent and driver-friendly model,” said a volunteer stationed at the pick-up point.The roads outside Nagpur railway station continue to remain a major challenge due to presence of autorickshaws and traffic snarls. “Sustained police vigilance will be needed to manage the situiation,” said senior railway officials.A relief Passengers spared ordeal of searching for a ride outside the station or walking long distances to areas like Jaistambh Chowk or Ganesh Tekdi to hail a rideDrivers retain 100% of RTO-approved fare, with the service provider charging only a nominal convenience fee of Rs50 per rideAlready 50 drivers have joined, with more expected to roll in and other cab companies express interestQR code scanning at dedicated counters eliminates need for app downloads, making it accessible even for allTemporary parking zones near new reservation counters on west side can accommodate multiple cabs, with assistance desks for first-time users
