Cabbies double fares; pvt bus operators come to rescue

Chandigarh/Nagpur: With major flight disruptions continuing for the third consecutive day, taxi operators in Chandigarh are driving away with the moolah. All IndiGo flights to Delhi were cancelled on Friday due to 'operational issues', prompting many travellers - especially those headed for international connections at IGI Airport - to book last-minute taxis. Several passengers told TOI that they had to fork out nearly twice the normal fare of Rs 5,000-6,000.

Those who had time switched to trains, but most had to cough up extra for a cab ride. Arun Kumar and Naina, who were headed to Canada, said they had no option but to book a cab after their flight to Delhi was cancelled. "We paid Rs 10,000 for a taxi to IGI. Just last week, our friends went for Rs 5,500," they said.

In Nagpur, abrupt disruptions & repeated cancellations forced hundreds of passengers to turn to private sleeper bus operators, who stepped in to travel to major metros like Mumbai and Bengaluru at short notice. Unlike Chandigarh, however, operators did not hike charges despite the sudden influx, said private bus operator Mukesh Chaurasiya, who runs a fleet of sleeper coaches. "We charged normal fares. People were genuinely relieved because they had no other option left," he said.

"Yesterday alone, I provided four to five buses from Nagpur to Mumbai after flights got cancelled. My buses even had to go directly to the airport because so many passengers were stranded, especially after the Bengaluru flight was cancelled," Chaurasiya told TOI. "Even today, five to seven buses are coming from Mumbai to Nagpur. We're getting inquiries from Delhi and other cities as well, but our capacity is limited," he added.

Other private bus operators, too, confirmed a spike in emergency bookings. When TOI checked online fares for Saturday's buses from Nagpur to Mumbai, the AC sleeper seats were less than Rs 3,000. Fares on Nagpur-Bengaluru route showed a hike, but there seemed to be little to no inflation for other destinations like Pune and Hyderabad.
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