Autos 'strike' rich at airport

Autos 'strike' rich at airport
Bangalore, DHNS:
Passengers at the HAL Airport had a harrowing time on Monday as the airport taxi operators joined the indefinite strike called by the truckers' federation.

Several passengers, who disembarked from the flight, were caught unawares by the strike, and had a tough time finding alternate transport facilities to ferry them to their destinations.

The Karnataka State Tourism Development Corporation (KSTDC) pre-paid taxi cabs which operates from the airport decided to take part in the stir and as a result around 210 cabs remained off road.

Similarly, the Bangalore and Airport Taxi Owners Association which operates 60 taxis from the airport also joined the strike.

Several passengers, especially those who arrived in the morning flights, were the worst-affected. Most of the international flights arrive in the city airport at the morning hours. Foreign passengers too had a tough time finding transport facilities.

The passengers told Deccan Herald that they were unaware of the stir and only got to know of it when they arrived at the arrival terminal. The only available means of transport from the airport were the autorickshaws, and long queues could be seen infront of the pre-paid autorickshaw counters.With the taxi and tourist operators joining the stir it was time for the illegal operators to strike rich at the airport.

Several incidents were reported where illegal and private operators charged exorbitant fares and many hapless passengers were seen shelling out huge amounts of money. “The few taxis that were operating demanded Rs 300 for dropping us at localities as close as Indiranagar,” said a passenger.