Many private cab companies were running to the brim and started work hours before peak business time on Monday owing to the New Year rush.
The volume of bookings increased to such an extent that many pre-booked cabs had to be cancelled. With the tight security and checking put in place by the Bangalore traffic police, many party goers chose to take the safe route home — hiring private cabs.
However, private cab companies which closed booking a day before the big day kept calling pre-booking customers to cancel their orders.
“The last day of the calendar year is the peak business time for us. The bookings had opened 10 days before December 31 and we kept getting calls even till 7 pm on December 31. We had to turn down many customers because we were running short of cabs,” said Khaleel K, manager of a private cab company.
All big players had slashed rates and discounted fares for cabs and many companies even had the option of cab pooling on the New Year’s eve. “Most of the big parties in the city are around Brigade Road and M G Road and we have cab pooling option. Because of the rush, we had to cancel a whole list of pre-booking customers for return trips,” said Manjesh Babu, owner of a private company.
Customers who were left in the lurch after their bookings were cancelled tried other options like autorickshaws and minivans. “We were told our booking was cancelled just two hours before the party started. We booked a small bus to carry our entire group from Brigade Road to various areas for a drop back home,” said Kritika Shetty, a student.