Taxi drivers from Dakshina Kannada and Udupi districts will begin an indefinite protest outside the main entrance of Mangaluru International Airport in Kenjaru on November 11, alleging discriminatory treatment of tourist vehicles and unscientific fare collection practices at the airport.
The drivers said they had given airport authorities a 10-day deadline to resolve difficulties faced by passengers and taxi operators. They warned that the agitation would continue through an indefinite sit-in if the issues were not addressed within that period.
The planned protest follows a meeting between airport officials and the presidents and office-bearers of taxi associations from both districts. According to the drivers, the meeting did not produce a positive response on their four principal demands. The airport authorities have reportedly assured them that they would examine the withdrawal of the ₹50 entry fee within four days.
The taxi associations have not indicated that the entry fee is the only issue behind the proposed protest. Their complaints also include alleged discrimination against tourist vehicles and fare collection methods they describe as unscientific. The report does not provide details of the other demands or specify the fare structure being disputed.
The dispute has implications for the way passengers access the coastal Karnataka airport, where taxis provide an important link between the terminal and destinations across Dakshina Kannada and Udupi. Any prolonged demonstration near the main entrance could affect the movement of passengers and vehicles, although the associations have not announced any plan to block airport operations.
Representatives of the two districts’ taxi associations also met the Assistant Commissioner of Police of Mangaluru North Sub-Division and submitted a memorandum. They informed the police that the indefinite protest would be held from November 11 with the support of like-minded driver organisations and public organisations.
The proposed action brings airport access management and commercial transport regulation into focus. Charges imposed at terminal entry points, the treatment of different categories of vehicles and the system used to determine fares can directly influence the cost and ease of airport travel for passengers. In this case, the taxi associations have linked those operational issues to both driver livelihoods and passenger inconvenience.
The associations have said they will proceed with the sit-in because they have not received a satisfactory response on all four demands. The immediate next step is the airport authority’s promised review of the ₹50 entry fee within four days, followed by the taxi unions’ planned protest at the Kenjaru entrance on November 11.
