KOLKATA: Commuters across the city faced a fare surge in app-cab services of different aggregators on Friday when a major portion of public transport, like buses, autos and metered taxis, stayed off roads because of Vishwakarma Puja. An octogenarian was charged Rs 155 for a 2.7km ride between Haltu and Gariahat, a distance of 2.7km.
Vishawakarama puja: 30-min wait for 20-min ride
Booking taxis, too, took longer, and some commuters had to wait 30 minutes for an aggregator to confirm a ride that would take 20 minutes. A few spells of rain on Friday added to commuters’ woes.The app-cab aggregators attributed the soaring fares to scarcity of driver partners who mostly remained off duty due to the festival. The availability of cabs dipped further later in the day and the fare reportedly jumped after sunset.On her return home from Park Street in the afternoon, Alipore resident Aparajita Banerjee had tried booking a cab for 30 minutes, and then had to pay Rs 70 extra. “I had to go to office and am usually dependent on cabs for my commute. The fairs were higher on Friday and booking time took longer. I got a cab after waiting for 30 minutes, and then had to pay Rs 200 instead of the usual Rs 130,” she said.Around 2pm, the app cab aggregators asked for Rs 418-Rs 536 for the 15km distance from Esplanade to the airport; Rs 487- Rs 519 for the 11km from Behala Chowrasta to Esplanade; Rs 266-Rs 300 for the 6km from Janbazar to RG Kar Hospital. Around 5.30pm, the aggregators charged Rs 150-Rs 178 for 3km, between Esplanade and SSKM Hospital.Muskan Khatun, a college student who failed to get a bus to travel from Esplanade to Jadavpur 8B Bus Stand, said, “I tried booking a cab but the fare was Rs 650. It is usually within Rs 350 on other days. Finally, I took the metro and had to break the commute into shorter trips to return home.”“The fare between Baranagar and Garden Reach is usually Rs 350 but I had to pay Rs 600 on Friday,” said Baranagar resident Shreya Das.Madhyamgram resident Agnik Chatterjee said, “I had to go to Park Street from Madhyamgram, and had to pay Rs 600 — double of what I pay on other days.”Bamangachi resident Brishti Majumdar paid Rs 1,400 to travel to Park Street. “The fare is usually Rs 800, but I had to pay Rs 600 more on Friday,” she said.According to Online Cab Operators Guild, about 40% of its fleet —nearly 10,500 cabs —stayed off roads. “Usually, fewer cabs ply on Vishwakarma Puja. But on Friday, apart from the festival, the bad weather was another factor behind the fare inflation. A few private aggregators tried to capitalise on the situation, leading to over 15% hike in fares across all sectors,” said Indranil Banerjee, the general secretary of the union.The CITU-backed union conceded that not more than 50% of its workforce was on the road on Friday.(Inputs from Dwaipayan Ghosh)
