Ola and Uber cabs are charging an additional Rs 100 and Rs 65, respectively, over the fare for picking up passengers from the airport.
The fee is being collected by the app cab aggregators as they are having to pay to park their vehicles at the designated pick-up points provided by the Kolkata airport authorities.
Several passengers said the re-introduction of the pick-up points have reduced the waiting time for the cabs of the two aggregators and the commute from the airport has become smoother compared to what it was before, when Ola and Uber cabs had no designated pick-up points.
The Telegraph reported on Saturday that the airport authorities had decided to reintroduce pick-up points for Ola and Uber cabs in front of the terminal building on the arrival level.
Seven Ola cabs and as many Uber vehicles would be allowed to park in the lane in front of the terminal meant for app cabs, officials at the airport had told this newspaper.
For this, the airport authorities are collecting a parking fee from each app cab every time it picks up passengers. Airport officials said Uber and Ola operators are paying Rs 65 as parking fee for each trip.
On Sunday afternoon, this newspaper booked an Ola cab from in front of the terminal and the waiting time was less than four minutes.
The cab was waiting at the designated pick-up point. The fare for a trip to Holiday Inn Express, around 800m from the terminal building, was Rs 229.
The fare details showed the aggregator charged Rs 119 for the trip, Rs 100 for parking and Rs 10 for transportation.
Shivani Chaudhury, who landed at the airport from Delhi and booked an Uber cab to reach home, told this newspaper that she had to pay Rs 65 as the parking fee and it was included in the fare.
On Sunday, several passengers said that although the parking fee, added to the fare, was an extra expense, they were happy that they did not have to wait for long to board an app cab.
Kawaldeep Paul, who booked an Uber cab, said he would not mind paying extra so long the waiting time remained reasonable.
“Earlier, we had to wait for 20 minutes or even more for an app cab to arrive at the airport as the cars would be parked elsewhere, at some distance from the terminal. And the drivers would always demand extra money for parking," said Paul, in his late 60s, who frequently flies between Kolkata and Patna, where his daughter is settled.
"Now that the parking fee has been integrated into the fare, the system has become more transparent."
On Sunday, this newspaper saw that all app cabs were being directed into the lane meant for commercial vehicles and teams from the Bidhannagar Police Commissionerate ensured that no cab picked up passengers from the lane right in front of the terminal.
"We are allowing pick-ups only from the designated points. No cab is being allowed to pick up passengers from in front of the terminal," said an officer at the commissinerate.
The absence of designated pick-up points for Ola and Uber cabs was a major reason why a commute from the airport was a problem for those who wanted to book cabs from the two aggregators.
There were also frequent complaints from fliers that the drivers would demand extra money on the ground that they had to pay a parking fee to the airport authorities.
Uber and Ola both had designated pick-up points at the airport but the system was discontinued following a dispute over fees to be paid by the operators to the airport authorities, sources at the airport had told this newspaper.
The booking kiosk for Uber in the terminal building, which had been closed some time ago, is functional again.
This newspaper in January published a series of reports highlighting the problems faced by passengers at the Kolkata airport. One of the issues many passengers highlighted was the problem they faced in getting public transport at the airport.
"The situation should improve now. However, with time, more pick-up points should be introduced," an official at the airport said.
