Why prepaid auto-rickshaws at Pune Airport are expensive than cabs?

Only 150-200 rides are booked from the prepaid booth every day, which is negligible considering that about 12,000 passengers get down at Pune Airport every day and thousands of rides are booked via apps from the same facility.

Prakash Rajguru, secretary of the auto union that operated the booth, said the fares at the pre-paid booth are slightly higher because it has to pay for logistical expenses that include Rs 1.2 lakh every month to Aeromall, the salaries of the booking clerks employed, as well as a Rs 10 entry-exit fee that’s paid for every ride.

“There are 140 of us who operate in two shifts. Since the customer flow is low, people have to wait for 3-4 hours to get a customer. If a driver is getting just 2 or 3 rides per shift, then he must also get enough earnings. If we could get more rides, then perhaps the fares could be reduced,” said Rajguru.

He said that the main hurdle in getting more passengers are the unauthorised auto-rickshaw drivers that operate at the arrival gate of the airport.

“They have no permission to operate from there. These drivers fleece customers by charging exorbitant amounts. We have approached the police as well as airport authorities against this, but these people have not been curbed,” said Rajguru.

When contacted, Pune Airport director Santosh Dhoke confirmed that some auto-rickshaws ply unauthorisedly from outside Aeromall. “We conduct campaigns time to time to take action against these auto-rickshaws that may seek passengers from within our premises. However, if they operate from outside the airport premise, it’s outside our jurisdiction.”

He said that the Aeromall is operated by a private entity under the PPP model and the airport administration has no control over the pricing of the services including the pre-paid auto booth.

Tushar Sable (27), a resident of Sinhagad Road, who returned to Pune after a visit to Bangalore and was waiting for his Ola cab to arrive, said, “I have been waiting for the cab for 25 minutes. The rickshaws are available, but they are expensive. I think they are fleecing the customers,” he said.

Colonel Yashwant, on the other hand, came straight to the pre-paid booth to book his ride to Mohammadwadi. “I chose the pre-paid rickshaw because it’s reliable and will be quick in traffic as compared to a cab. It may be slightly expensive but that’s okay,” he said.

Rajendra Pol, one of the auto drivers at the booth said he has to go down to the arrival gate to look for customers.

“As there are not many customers, it’s almost compulsory for every driver to fetch one customer by walking to the arrival gate. We are competing with unauthorised autos as well as cabs and if we are to get at least three customers a day we have to take extra efforts,” said Pol.