Transport minister inspects Bengaluru airport pick-up system amid protests

Bengaluru: Transport Minister Ramalinga Reddy carried out a reality check at the Kempegowda International Airport (KIA) to gain perspective on pick-up rules and overcharge fees enforced by the authorities in December.

Reddy, accompanied by the Bangalore International Airport Limited management and a group of taxi drivers, surveyed both the airport terminals and the designated parking areas.

"I did not have to walk all the way to the parking area, and it was already noticeable how far it was from the arrival gates. I can understand why the new rules are frustrating to both passengers and cab drivers. It does not work in favour of either," Reddy told DH.

The minister had also previously pointed out that the new rules do not take into consideration the needs of differently abled and senior citizens.

Under the new pick-up rules enforced on December 13 at T1, commercial vehicles not associated with the airport operator must wait at designated parking zones, P3 and P4. Vehicles receive 10 minutes of complimentary parking, which has now been extended to 15 minutes. After this, cab drivers must pay Rs 100 for a half-hour slot and Rs 50 for every additional hour.

The designated parking areas can be accessed using shuttle buses, which operate at intervals of seven minutes, in addition to buggies and cars available at T1. Similar rules were enforced at T2 on December 11.

"I have had a meeting with the management regarding this and guided them towards rolling back the rules. This is the second meeting we have had in this regard. If the management is adamant about this, I will reach out to the chief secretary to look into this," he added.

The minister was also unhappy with the reduction of BMTC bays at the airport.

Chikkaballapura MP K Sudhakar carried out a similar interaction with the management on Tuesday.

Another protest 

Meanwhile, cab drivers at the airport are planning another protest.

G Narayanaswamy, president of Karnataka Chalakara Okkuta, who is at the forefront of the movement, said, "The lives of approximately 35,000 drivers have been affected by these rules, and the airport has not taken any responsibility. We have trust in our minister. But in case the airport decides to stick with its rules, thousands of drivers will be protesting at the airport."