Kolkata commuters faced sharp app-cab fare increases and long waits on Friday after a large part of the city’s bus, auto and metered-taxi network stayed off the roads for Vishwakarma Puja, leaving commuters dependent on aggregators during spells of rain.
An octogenarian travelling 2.7km from Haltu to Gariahat was charged Rs 155 for the ride. Other commuters reported waiting up to 30 minutes for bookings that would normally be confirmed quickly, even when the journey itself was expected to take about 20 minutes.
App-cab aggregators attributed the higher fares to a shortage of driver partners, many of whom remained off duty for the festival. Availability fell further later in the day, with fares reportedly rising after sunset.
Aparajita Banerjee, an Alipore resident who depends on cabs for her office commute, said she waited for 30 minutes to book a ride from Park Street in the afternoon. She paid Rs 200 instead of her usual Rs 130, an increase of Rs 70.
Around 2pm, fares for a 15km trip from Esplanade to the airport ranged between Rs 418 and Rs 536. A journey of about 11km from Behala Chowrasta to Esplanade was priced at Rs 487-Rs 519, while a 6km ride from Janbazar to RG Kar Hospital cost Rs 266-Rs 300. At around 5.30pm, a 3km trip from Esplanade to SSKM Hospital was priced at Rs 150-Rs 178.
The disruption was particularly difficult for commuters whose regular public transport options were unavailable. Muskan Khatun, a college student travelling from Esplanade to Jadavpur 8B Bus Stand, said she was quoted Rs 650 for a cab, compared with her usual fare of about Rs 350. She eventually used the Metro and divided the journey into shorter trips.
Other commuters also reported substantial increases. Shreya Das, travelling from Baranagar to Garden Reach, said she paid Rs 600 instead of the usual Rs 350. Agnik Chatterjee from Madhyamgram said a journey to Park Street cost Rs 600, about twice his regular fare. Brishti Majumdar, travelling from Bamangachi to Park Street, paid Rs 1,400 against her usual fare of Rs 800.
The Online Cab Operators Guild said about 40% of its fleet, or nearly 10,500 cabs, remained off the roads. Indranil Banerjee, the guild’s general secretary, said fewer cabs usually operated on Vishwakarma Puja, but that the weather had compounded the shortage this year. He said some private aggregators had capitalised on the situation, resulting in a fare increase of more than 15% across sectors.
A CITU-backed union said no more than half of its workforce was on the road on Friday. With buses, autos and metered taxis also affected by the festival, the reduced supply left commuters with fewer alternatives while app-cab demand increased. The immediate disruption was therefore driven by the combination of lower driver availability, rain and limited public transport services.
