When did you last call a taxi?

When did you last call a taxi?

The city taxi is now bogged down by unreliable and unregulated services
The Hindu

There were lofty aspirations for Bangalore post-IT boom in the late 1990s, but no sooner did the city's population burgeon, the shortcomings of the public transport systems were felt harshly — especially the lack of a reliable taxi service. As soon as one got out of the city's railway station or airport, the only form of transport available was the autorickshaw or the unregulated ancient Ambassador taxis that charged as per the drivers' whims.

Thus was born the dream in 1998 of having a reliable taxi service and to go with the city's hi-tech image it was decided they would be radio taxis. Borrowing on the concept that was used around the world (see box), it was announced that now you could hail a taxi by sitting in the comfort of your home or office. The fares would be metered electronically and a professional service was promised.

But today, the taxi service in the city has become unregulated and unreliable. The problems are many. It begins with the naming of the service. When the taxis were launched they were called radio taxis: then you had city taxis and now you have taxis sporting all sorts of names jostling for elbowroom along with pre-paid taxis.

Taxi services around the world have a rigid colouring system, but here every taxi operator has his own colour scheme. To compound the worries of commuters, it is suspected that some taxis are running illegally. The Hindu had even reported this problem way back in March 2004.

Ask any regular taxi user and he will give you a long list of problems. The biggest grouse is excess fare. "I hired a radio taxi to go from my house to Woodlands Hotel near Kanteerava Stadium. Once I reached the destination I paid the fare that was displayed in the meter, Rs. 70. But the driver refused to take the money and demanded Rs. 100, saying that is the minimum fare," fumes P. Rangi, an engineer.

Like Rangi, many commuters have faced this same problem even though the government-approved fare is Rs. 35 for the first four kilometres and Rs. 9 for every kilometre thereafter. Some drivers even go to the extent of producing phoney rate cards. Rangi tried complaining to the taxi operator, but his call was passed around and eventually a voice said: "Owner is not here, saar." Harried and pressed for time, Rangi paid up.

Have you tried calling a radio taxi during peak hour? Chances are instead of a vehicle, all you'll get is excuses. Not only do taxis not turn up on time often but the drivers are loath to come late night, even though the service is supposed to be 24-hours.

"I had to go to the airport to pick up a friend late at night. I tried four different taxi operators but each of them said all their taxis were busy. Irritated, I tried some more operators from the directory, but it looks like the taxis are busier in the night than during the day. Do Bangaloreans have a fetish for hiring taxis for fun late in the night?" asks Meenakshi, a writer.

To find out what the Bangalore City Taxi Association had to say about these complaints MetroPlus spoke to Dharanesh, the General Secretary of the Association and also the proprietor of

Sneha City Taxi. "About the fares we have spoken to the Principal Secretary, Transport Department already. The fares have not been increased in a long time. We want it to be Rs. 50 minimum and Rs. 10 for every kilometre thereafter. Many taxi operators are finding it difficult to survive because of the increase in running costs. But if any driver demands extra fare, commuters should immediately contact the respective operator and register a complaint. Also, there is a standing instruction that drivers are not supposed to cover their taxi meters and commuters should be able to see it always," he says.

The Regional Transport Authority (RTA), which is the body that licences the taxis says that they have not received any complaints about taxis so far. Instead, it is the autos that attract the most complaints.

"We book dozens of cases on autos everyday but with radio taxis we have so far received nil complaints. The fares for the taxis were last fixed on February 24, 2001. That is Rs. 35 minimum and Rs. 9 for every kilometre thereafter," says Shafi Ahmed of the Jayanagar RTA. The procedure for complaining about taxis is the same as autos. One can approach the nearest police station and give a written complaint stating the registration number of the taxi and the operator.

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True colours

Taxis around the world have distinct colour schemes. London is famous for its black cabs while New York is famous for its yellow cabs. The colours are not for aesthetics but serve a purpose.

In New York, for example, yellow cabs are the ones that will stop when you hail them on the road, while the radio taxis are black in colour and charge higher fares.

In Hong Kong, taxis have three colours based on service area. Red for urban Hong Kong, green for New Territories and blue for Lantau Island.

The colours are to prevent service imbalance between scantily populated areas and urban centres of the territory.

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Fare for Bangalore City Radio Taxi as per government order dated February 24, 2001:

Minimum fare for four kilometres — Rs. 35

Rs. 9 for every kilometre thereafter

First 20 minutes waiting free and Rs. 5 for every 15 minutes thereafter

Between 10 p.m. and 5 a.m. and for travelling outside BMP limits the fare is one-and-a-half times the metered fare.