Air-conditioned Yatri Sathi cabs started picking up passengers from the designated pick-up points at Calcutta airport from Friday, a parking fee of ₹70 was added to the fare.

Police and parking attendants at the booking counters were seen helping passengers who were booking the Yatri Sathi cabs and ensuring they did not have to pay extra. However, yellow and some of the air-conditioned taxis were seen illegally parked on one of the lanes in front of the terminal building meant for the movement of commercial vehicles.

Metro was at Calcutta airport on Friday afternoon to find out what had changed in front of the terminal building and what had remained unchanged.

What has changed

Traffic police personnel and attendants were present in numbers at the three Yatri Sathi booking counters in front of gate numbers 1A, 1B 3A, 3B, 4A and 4B of the arrival level. Many were seen assisting passengers book rides.

Those booking the air-conditioned cabs were informed by the attendants and the cops that the parking fee was included in the fare and that they should not pay anything extra.

Boards informing fliers about the location of the booking counters and the pick-up points were placed at regular intervals.

Several passengers who booked air-conditioned rides from the airport through the Yatri Sathi app said cabs were allotted quickly.

“Pick up was smooth. The cabs pulled up at the pickup points within seven minutes. Even though the fare included ₹70 extra as parking charges, it was still cheaper than rides hailed through other cab aggregators,” said Arpita Chatterjee who booked a ride from the airport to Phoolbagan.

A notification issued by the Bidhannagar Commissionerate on Thursday evening stated: “This is to notify, as per the meeting held between officials of the Airports Authority of India (AAI) and the police authorities, M/S Omega Enterprises the licensee of car parking at the Calcutta airport has been authorised to collect ₹70 per pickup for air-conditioned duties/drops.”

An official of Omega Enterprises, the agency that manages and collects parking fees at the Calcutta airport, said they started collecting parking charges from air-conditioned cabs on Friday.

“We have started collecting a parking fee of ₹70 from AC cabs. Yellow taxis and non-AC cars are not being charged,” the official said.

What hasn’t changed

Many taxis and commercial vehicles remained parked illegally on the extreme left lane of the bay meant for the movement of commercial vehicles.

This newspaper reported on July 27 that it was decided at a meeting among AAI officials and police that the yellow taxis registered under the Yatri Sathi app and other commercial vehicles are to be parked in front of the old domestic terminal building. They are only supposed to drive up to the pick-up points opposite the new terminal building when the slots are vacant and they are either called up by the attendants or get a booking.

Yellow taxis and other commercial vehicles parked in the lanes meant for the movement of commercial vehicles in front of the terminal building of the airport on Friday.

No police personnel were seen driving the illegally parked cars away. Most of those cabs were empty.

“The drivers usually leave the taxis and stand in front of the terminal to get passengers,” said an airport official.

A senior officer of the Bidhannagar Commisionerate’s traffic wing of the airport zone said that on Friday they focused on ensuring smoother pick-ups for passengers booking rides on the Yatri Sathi app. A crackdown against drivers who park their vehicles and block the lane meant for the movement of commercial vehicles will begin next week.