KSTDC plans to capture airport travel market with tech, but drivers not on-board 

Karnataka State Tourism Development Corporation is operating taxis from the airport to Bengaluru.
| Photo Credit: The Hindu

At a time when airport travel is an arduous one from many parts of the City, due to limited public transport options and sky-high cab fares, Karnataka State Tourism Development Corporation (KSTDC) is planning to capture the market with its new app which is expected to be launched in the next couple of months. However, getting drivers on board for its new tech innovation plans appears to be a hurdle. 

Cabs can be booked on the same day

Unlike the old system where customers were supposed to book KSTDC airport cabs a day before, now they can book it on the same day as GPS trackers are installed in most of these cabs which helps KSTDC track their availability. Customers can call the number 080 – 4466 4466 to book their cabs. 

KSTDC decided to take the system online following repeated complaints from customers about fare tampering.  

“In a week, we receive at least 25-30 tampering complaints from customers. Previously, we used to block the Radio-frequency identification (RFID) numbers which allow them to enter the airport of such cabs for 24 hours. But now, we have become even more strict and block their numbers for at least 20 days. We give them two chances and when we receive a third complaint against the same driver, then we cancel their RFID number,” said Sreenath K.S., General Manager, Transport, KSTDC. 

Need for geo-fence to enable GPS tracking

Many customers have complained about drivers taking toll-free roads but then levying toll charges in the bill, however, once the drivers install the GPS trackers, it cannot be done. “We have set up a geo-fence on the toll-free road. As soon as one of our vehicles takes that road, we get to know and thus, they will not be able to take the toll charge,” an official said.  

KSTDC has tied up with Shiva IOT services, a private service provider, to set up GPS trackers, as well as tech-enabled fare meters. The associated cab drivers would have to pay a one-time charge of ₹12,000 for the fare meter and a monthly charge of ₹540 for GPS trackers. The drivers are complaining that they do not want to pay these charges and some have even taken the matter to court. 

“We have a fleet of 880 vehicles out of which 650 are air-conditioned, 200 non-air-conditioned and 30 of them are pink taxis (driven by women for women customers). So far, only 550 of them have installed GPS trackers while no one has installed the fare meters,” Mr. Sreenath said. 

Services likely to begin by end of September

The officials hope to sort out these issues by the end of September when the current contracts they have with the drivers terminate. “If the cases are cleared by then, then we can call for fresh applications with stricter terms. Our first preference will of course be for the existing drivers, but they would have to follow the new terms,” Mr. Sreenath specified. 

Once the new app is launched, customers will be able to book their rides only to and from the airport from any part of the City. “Unlike other ride hailing apps, we do not have surcharges based on demand. We will always have a fixed price which will work out well for the customers,” Mr. Sreenath said.  

Further, to keep up with the growing competition of ride hailing apps in both economy and luxury sectors, KSTDC is regularly counselling its drivers to keep their vehicles in good and clean condition, always wear uniforms and not to tamper with bills.  

The Karnataka Government had also announced that it will launch its own ride-hailing app almost a year ago, after several drivers voiced multiple grievances against existing apps. However, owing to technical difficulties reportedly, the app has still not been launched.