Radio taxi signal reaches Gurgaon, private cabs slash rates

Till just a few weeks ago, it cost at least Rs 350 to travel from South City to the IGI Airport. Today, taxis charge between Rs 250 and Rs 300 for the same distance.

For the past fortnight or so, Gurgaon papers have also started looking fatter, for inserted in them are some four or five pamphlets every day, advertising rates and special features of different “taxi stands”. “We have to keep the competition and market in mind,” says Manoj Yadav, a taxi service provider based in South City I. “With the increase in number of taxi providers, prices are bound to come down further.”

There has been little change in per-kilometre rates — Rs 350-450 for 40 km or four hours (whichever comes first), and Rs 500-700 for 80 kms/8 hours. But the southward drive is seen in flat rates for frequently asked destinations, such as the IGI Airport, railway stations, and main bus stands. And they are getting customers, too, in this city without any public transport to speak of, taxi operators say. “Radio cabs will work out to be more expensive — they charge Rs 15 per kilometer. This will, hopefully, mean we will retain our business,” says Bhagat Singh, owner of a taxi stand in Sushant Estate.

Dr G Prasan Kumar, head of Haryana State Transport Department’s Finance Division, says it would be a win-win situation for all operators. Despite competition from local cabbies, the upcoming radio cabs will have enough business, he says. “The reason we gave out so many radio taxi contracts is safety. These cabs can be tracked down at any point of time.”

But some cab owners remain apprehensive, Kartar Yadav, 30, in business for the past eight years in Sector 45, says: “We are bound to lose business once the radio cabs and the Metro comes in. With the government support and resources available to big taxi operators, small entrepreneurs like me will lose half our business.”

What’s interesting, taxis from Gurgaon to Delhi are much cheaper than those coming in from the Capital. Nizamuddin to Gurgaon, for instance, costs over Rs 450, though it’s between Rs 350 and Rs 400 for the ride back.