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Is The New East-West Metro Driving Howrah’s Taxi Drivers Out of Enterprise? (Consultant Picture/iStock)
Because the Metro continues to reshape Howrah’s transportation panorama, cab operators are left strategizing on easy methods to lure passengers again.
For the reason that launch of the brand new East-West Metro line connecting Howrah Maidan to Esplanade, taxi drivers at Howrah station are feeling the pinch.
Notably hit laborious are app-cab drivers, who report a big drop in clients heading each lengthy distances and to the central enterprise district from the station.
As per TOI, “For the reason that essential East-West Metro part began operating, our enterprise has taken an enormous hit. This impacts not solely the Metro route but in addition the North-South line as a consequence of their connection at Esplanade. Passengers who used to pay Rs 250 from Howrah to Esplanade can now journey the identical distance for simply Rs 10. Our fares have dropped from Rs 250 to Rs 120,” lamented Pradeep Sain, an Ola driver at Howrah station.
Ravi Singh, managing the parking zone at Howrah station, famous the stark change, saying, “Earlier than the Metro line, cabs didn’t linger right here. Now they idle all day. Plus, drivers nonetheless should pay the Rs 71 hourly parking charge.”
Vivek Jaiswal, a cab driver, shared his plight, “I used to earn Rs 2,000 each day. Now, it’s generally all the way down to Rs 800, and a few days, I get no passengers.”
Charges have dropped by Rs 100 on common. Amit Das, one other cabby, said, “Throughout off-peak hours, we used to cost Rs 400 to Gariahat. Now it’s all the way down to Rs 300.”
Purushottam Kalra, from an app-cab firm, acknowledged the drop in fares however lamented the dearth of returning passengers. “We depend on households with numerous baggage now. These with much less baggage favor the Metro.”
Indranil Banerjee, from the App Cab Operators’ Guild, expressed hope that aggregators like Ola and Uber would introduce incentives for rides between Howrah and Kolkata to spice up demand. “We would not get again the commuters switching between trains and cabs, however we have to win over the native Howrah passengers once more,” he concluded.
