BENGALURU: Monday’s bandh was a challenge to commuters who did not have the option to login to work from home but had to get to office. With buses off the roads and only autorickshaws and taxis as options, many commuters complained of having to shell out hundreds of rupees more than the usual that they pay to get to work.
In some cases, taxi aggregators hiked up their fares by as much as Rs 55 per km, far past the legal limit set by the government. As a result, fares doubled and in some cases were almost three times higher than the normal amount. “I was checking for a cab through both Ola and Uber today morning just a few minutes after the bandh started at 9 am. I was shocked to see that a ride which usually costs me Rs 120 was showing as Rs 378,” said Pratima Das, a resident of Old Airport road.
With taxis charging such rates, some chose to travel by auto instead. “An autorickshaw asked me for Rs 100 over the regular fare and it was still at least Rs 150 lesser than the taxi rates that were showing in the morning. I just got into the auto and left,” Gurpreet, a resident of Frazer Town, said. However, even autorickshaw drivers could be seen asking for exorbitant amounts in the absence of police.