A few app cabs are now available for medical emergencies .

Calls can be made to 9804886028 or text messages sent to 9432324341, stating the pick-up location and time two to three hours before the pick-up.

A total of 200 cabs from the West Bengal Online Cab Operators’ Guild are available within the city for medical emergencies.

“We are providing this service only for hospital pick-up or drop. Someone who needs to go to a hospital for, say, chemotherapy or dialysis, can book a cab. We need at least two hours to allocate a cab. Our coordinator (whose numbers are given) will verify the location of the customer, destination and the duration of the trip before allocating a cab from our database,” said Indranil Banerjee of the cab operators’ guild.

The fare is Rs 20 per km with a waiting charge of Rs 100 an hour. One can also book a cab for several hours, for which the fare will be Rs 200 an hour.

On calling the number, the customer will get the registration number of the vehicle and the name and contact number of the driver.

The customer will have to send a digital copy of the prescription to the driver over WhatsApp. “The driver may need to show the copy to police on the way to pick up the customer. The customer must board the cab with the prescription,” said Banerjee.

Will there be refusal? “We think 200 cabs will be enough for medical emergencies,” Banerjee said.

Cab service

Phone: 9804886028

SMS: 9432324341

Rate: Rs 20/km or Rs 200/hr

Waiting charge (applicable only along with per km charge): Rs 100/hr