Bengaluru rains: Cab, auto fares skyrocket; people struggle to get rides

Bengaluru: Heavy overnight rains on Monday triggered severe waterlogging and traffic snarls across Bengaluru, leaving residents stranded and struggling to book cabs and autorickshaws.

On aggregator platforms, cab fares from Banaswadi to the Kempegowda International Airport (35 km) hovered between Rs 1,300 and Rs 1,700 around 9 am — a steep jump from the usual Rs 1,000.

"I tried multiple apps for over an hour, but could not get a cab. I had to postpone my flight,” said Samhita NB, who was travelling to Hyderabad.

A Sarjapur resident missed his flight to Goa after taking over three hours to reach the airport. “I paid Rs 2,000 for the cab, about 70% higher than usual. Traffic and long queues at the toll made it worse,” he told DH.

At Sahakar Nagar, Rashmi N opted to work from home after failing to find a ride to her office near Embassy Manyata Business Park between 8.30 and 10 am. “Some would accept and then cancel, fearing waterlogging near the tech park,” she said. Even with surge pricing at Rs 300 — nearly double the usual Rs 140-160 — and offering a tip, she had no luck.

Most aggregator platforms imposed surge fees between 8 am and 11 am.

In RR Nagar, a resident attempting to book an auto for a 2.5-km ride to Kanchenahalli at 9.30 am found fares starting at Rs 100, instead of the regular Rs 40-50.

At 5.30 pm, St Thomas Town resident Kasir San paid Rs 250 — nearly double the fare — to get home from Babusapalya.

The disruption, persisting since Saturday due to relentless rains, has hit commute costs hard.

Martin Menezes from HBR Layout said a cab to Indiranagar was priced at Rs 530, up from Rs 250. “Even at those rates, I could not get a cab. I tried for two hours,” he shared.

On Sunday night, an auto from MG Road to Binnypet cost Rs 230, against the usual Rs 150.