Resistance grows to new pickup rules at Bengaluru airport's Terminal 1

Bengaluru: The new pickup rules at the Kempegowda International Airport (KIA), especially at Terminal 1 (T1), have been met with resistance from both passengers and cab drivers.

While cab drivers continue to negotiate with authorities and plan further protests, a Hosa Road resident has recently launched a petition, calling on Bangalore International Airport Limited, which operates the airport, to roll back the new pickup rules. 

The new rules are not well thought out, believes Hareesh Amjuri, a marketing professional who launched the online campaign on Change.org on Tuesday.

While the campaign is yet to gain traction, several passengers have echoed similar sentiments. 

Amjuri, who was travelling from Andhra Pradesh, arrived in Bengaluru last week, unable to locate his taxi driver. “I was waiting at the usual pickup lane near the Arrivals. The driver said he was at P4, but I couldn’t find P4 on any of the pickup lane numbers. That’s when I realised he was in the parking zone,” he said. 

As Amjuri walked to the designated parking zone, he noticed people of all ages struggling to carry their luggage and walk the 700-odd metres. 

“It got me thinking about how my parents, who are visiting in a week, would have to go through the process. Especially my father, who is a

Parkinson’s patient. It also didn’t sit right with me that the airport’s official social media handle was sharing content stating that 95 per cent were comfortable and accepting of the changes, when that clearly wasn’t the reality on the ground,” he told DH. 

“It’s disheartening to witness elderly travellers struggling with their baggage, children barely managing the long walk, and pregnant women exerting more energy than necessary after a tiresome journey. There is an urgent need to revisit these rules and bring back the previous pickup point that ensures accessibility and convenience for all passengers... We urge the authorities at Kempegowda International Airport, Bengaluru, to consider reopening the previous pick-up areas, which were positioned closer to the arrivals and genuinely catered to the comfort of all individuals using the airport,” reads the petition. 

Several passengers have also shared similar concerns on and off social media, with many pointing out that the pickup arrangements made at P4 are not being efficiently organised. 

Seema Kothari, a passenger travelling from Delhi, noted that while premium services, like Uber Black, have been placed closer to the terminal, buses and other cab aggregators are further away. 

“The airport may not have much to do with it, as it would be the aggregator’s call to decide which spot they’d like based on how much they’re paying. However, this can seriously impact customers’ pockets. Booking a cab at the airport is easily 50 per cent more expensive,” she said. 

BIAL’s statement

Since the new rules were introduced on December 11 at T2 and on December 13 at T1, BIAL has stood its ground, stating that the new pickup system follows practices adopted at leading airports globally.

In a statement issued last week, a BIAL spokesperson stated that the progress of the new system would be carefully monitored over the next 30 days to ensure the system stabilises.