‘Prioritise local taxi drivers at airport’: Karnataka transport group to BIAL

Bengaluru: The Federation of Karnataka State Private Transport Associations has urged Bangalore International Airport Limited (BIAL) to hire more local drivers and prioritise local taxi operators in parking space allotment.

In a letter to BIAL on Tuesday, the federation noted that out-of-state companies that had received taxi service contracts at the airport were engaging drivers from outside Karnataka, resulting in displacement and loss of employment for Karnataka's own taxi drivers and owners.

Further, priority parking and duty allocations are being extended to multinational companies, large corporate operators, and out-of-state firms, while local taxi operators "face restrictions and discrimination" in parking allocation, it stated.

The federation urged BIAL to give preference to local drivers in recruitment, especially those already operating at the airport, prioritise them in parking slot allotment, and allocate trips/duties in a "fair, transparent, and non-discriminatory" manner. It also asked for proper verification of all drivers and for restrictions on drivers without valid residence and work permits.