Kolkatans court radio cabs for comfortable ride

KOLKATA: Fed up with idiosyncrasies of cabbies in Kolkata, people are embracing alternative commuting solutions big time. Such is the sense of frustration with yellow metered cabs that the usually price-sensitive and value-conscious Kolkatan is willing to pay premium for a hassle-free experience.
According to Uber, the San Francisco-headquartered technology firm that pioneered the concept of hiring cars using a smartphone, the growth of Uber in Kolkata has been faster than anywhere in the world!
"We are enjoying a phenomenal ride in Kolkata.We are adding cars and riders at a record pace in Kolkata. Month on month, the growth in terms of rides is the highest internationally," said Varun Mundukur of Uber India.
Uber operates in 280 cities worldwide including Chicago, Boston, Washington DC, Rio, Amsterdam, Dubai, Durban, Hong Kong and Gold Coast. Kolkata apart, it has operations in Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Chennai, Ahmedabad, Chandigarh and Kochi in India.
According to Mumdukur, the sheer number of people wanting to avail of a Uber ride despite the 45,000-strong metered taxi fleet in the city highlights the demand for a reliable transportation service. "Kolkata has historically had a taxi culture. So we did expect a good response when we launched the service five-and-a-half months ago. But we certainly did not anticipate the kind of volumes that have consistently generated," he said.
Indian radio taxi operator Meru Cabs is also struggling to meet with the demand as the number of rides grows 100% month on month since it launched the service in Kolkata in September 2014. Among the 17 cities it operates in, Kolkata tops in terms of rides.
From 100 vehicles, it now has 600 vehicles and is targeting a fleet of 2,500 cars by the middle of this year. "Our focus is on getting more cars into the system so that the rejection due to non-availability of cabs is minimal. We are currently doing 5,000 trips a day but I clearly sense an opportunity for 25,000-30,000 daily trips," said Meru chief executive Siddhartha Pahwa.
Mega Cabs has been in the city for five years. But it is only in past 12 months that business exploded and its fleet doubled to 425 cabs. "Taxi refusal has been an issue for a while. What triggered the growth in alternative cabs is the spate of strikes," said Mega Cabs chairman and president of association of radio taxis Kunal Lalani.
The gestation period for Mega Cabs to reach a 400-plus fleet was a lot longer in Delhi or Bengaluru than it has been in Kolkata. With the city showing signs of maturity, Mega Cabs is eyeing a fleet of 1,000 cars by 2016-end.
"The only challenge before us is the rallies that create a traffic situation in Kolkata. If that is managed, it won't take long before anyone who wants a cab can use the phone and get an assured service within 10-15 minutes," he added.