Fuel price hike hits Pune-Mumbai commuters, cab fares rise by ‘Rs 300-400’

Pune-based cab operator Dnyaneshwar Shelke said fares have moved from Rs 19 to Rs 20 per kilometre, exclusive of toll charges. “The fare depends on the vehicle; a sedan is priced lower than a larger car, but on average, a Pune-Mumbai trip is now costing passengers between Rs 300 and Rs 400 more,” he said.

Shelke added that his firm has held back the hike for long-standing customers, but the pressure is being felt. “New customers are very price-sensitive. Now some of them feel the cab journey to be costly and are choosing bus or train. In this business, pricing is everything.”

Shelke acknowledged that several cab operators had been absorbing rising input costs for some time before finally relenting. “This is an extremely competitive segment. We tried to hold the line for as long as we could, but with fuel prices going up repeatedly through May, there was no way to sustain that,” he said.

With the cumulative impact of successive hikes, CNG in Pune currently costs around Rs 96.50 per kg, diesel is at approximately Rs 98.68 per litre, and petrol has crossed Rs 112 per litre, now priced at Rs 112.04.

Frequent flyers feel the pinch

Pune residents who regularly travel to Mumbai’s Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport or Navi Mumbai International Airport for international flights. Corporate employees and students, who rely on private or shared cabs between the two cities, say the higher fares are adding up over a month.

Neha Patil, a medical professional based in Akurdi who commutes regularly between Pune and Mumbai for work, said the revised fares have turned the journey into a costly one. “I travel to Mumbai two or three times a month. Earlier, I had a rough sense of what the trip would cost and could budget for it. Now, every time I book, it is a different number,” she said.