It has now come to light that these counters are charging people arbitrarily.
It would be wiser for passengers to check the rate card/boards near the pre-paid counters at Mumbai airport. It has now come to light that these counters are charging people arbitrarily and DNA has got copies of some of the vouchers where passengers for near and far distances were charged nearly the same amount, irrespective of the rate card and the distance.
When Rajeev K hired a pre-paid cab from Santacruz terminal of Mumbai airport for Lokhandwala on July 19 he had to pay Rs325. Similarly Manish Jha, another passenger took a pre-paid cab from the airport to Lokmanya nagar, Thane and he paid Rs350.
"While Lokhandwala, Andheri (W) is in the range of 8-12kms, Thane falls between 28-32 kms," says an official from Mumbai airport. There are other instances where passengers are made to pay extra. For instance, according to a pre-paid voucher dated July 18 from Santacruz to Vile Parle, the passenger had to pay Rs105. The voucher states the amount as Rs70+Rs15 which is equal to Rs105. It should be actually Rs85.
In certain cases passengers are lucky and also end up saving money due to ambiguity in deciding the area. For instance, on August 8 a passenger took a pre-paid cab to Alankar theatre, Grant Road and paid Rs260. "The fare should have been Rs290,"says the official.
"These are few cases where the passengers have rarely benefitted. In most cases they are over-charged and are not even aware of it," says Kanhaiya Singh, president, Mumbai Airport Taxi Rickshaw Union (MATRU). "These counters should be actually monitored by a committee that would look into the profit/losses incurred and income generated as announced by the joint commissioner of police (traffic) in 2008," he said.
When contacted, the spokesperson for Mumbai International Airport Limited (MIAL) which mans the pre-paid counters said, "there is a rate card prescribed by RTO for pre-paid taxis operating from the airport. All charges are based on this rate card."
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