Bengaluru airport: Ola, Uber cab rides get costlier as pick-up fees increased by 40%

Taking a cab ride from Bengaluru’s Kempegowda International Airport (KIA) has now become expensive by up to 40 per cent after Uber and Ola increased the pick-up fee.

According to a report in Moneycontrol, airport pick-up fees have been increased by 22 to 40 per cent for Uber and Ola.

Bengaluru International Airport Limited (BIAL), which operates Kempegowda International Airport (KIA), has increased the airport pick-up fee as part of its concessionaire agreement renewal, the report said.

As per the new fares, Uber’s airport pickup (Terminal 1) charge per ride has increased from Rs 187.62 to Rs 260.78, and Ola’s ‘transport hub charge’ per trip increased from Rs 172 to Rs 215. It remains unclear whether BluSmart has increased the charges from Rs 218 per trip, the report said citing sources.

“Cab pick-up charges at the airport's Terminal 2 (T2) are higher than at Terminal 1 (T1). For instance, Uber's pick-up fee increased by 23 per cent at T1 and 40 per cent at T2. The increase in pick-up fees for both aggregators varies between 22 per cent and 40 per cent,” a source was quoted as saying.

“For all airport trips taken on Uber, a pickup fee is charged as part of our commercial agreements with airports. This fee is passed on to the airport, Uber does not retain these charges. The pickup fee has recently been increased at the Bengaluru airport, leading to updated fares for these trips” an Uber spokesperson was quoted as saying the report.

“For transparency, we are informing our riders about the revised fares for airport trips. The estimated fare for any trip inclusive of our commission, and applicable taxes, is shown upfront at the time of booking to enable the rider to make an informed choice,” the spokesperson added.