Cabs from Bengaluru airport to cost more as airport authorities hike pick-up fees

Bengaluru: Flyers alighting at Bengaluru airport will now have to pay substantially more for their cab rides to the city, as the airport operator at Kempegowda International Airport (KIA) has increased the airport pick-up fees by 22-40% for app-based aggregators Uber and Ola.

Bengaluru International Airport Limited (BIAL), which operates Kempegowda International Airport (KIA), has increased the airport pick-up fee for app-based aggregators by 22-40% as part of its concessionaire agreement renewal.

As a direct consequence of this fees hike, Uber’s airport pickup charge per ride has increased from Rs 187.62 to Rs 260.78. Similarly, Ola’s ‘transport hub charge’ per trip increased from Rs 172 to Rs 215.  It is not confirmed whether BluSmart has increased the charges from the existing Rs 218 per trip.

Here is a snapshot of a cab bill with revised charges:

The pick-up fees increase has been steeper for Terminal 2 (T2) as compared to Terminal 1 (T1). For example, Uber’s pick-up fee increased from Rs 187 to Rs 230 at Terminal 1 and from Rs 187 to Rs 260 at Terminal 2. The increase in pick-up fees for both aggregators varies between 22 percent and 40 percent,” reported Moneycontrol.

Needless to say, the entire hike in airport access fees being charged to the cab aggregators will be passed on to the customers and in the end, the fees hike is a direct increase in airport travel expense for the end user.

Together, Ola, Uber and BluSmart account for more than 70 percent of all airport trips in Bengaluru.

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Uber has begun informing customers about the increased pick-up fee in Bengaluru airport. “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” said a spokesperson.

“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 statement adds.

In May 2024, the airport authorities decided to charge and an entry fees to both private and commercial vehicles starting May 20. The plan included stay and overstay charges for vehicles accessing the arrival pick-up lanes at Terminals 1 and 2. This move, however had to be backtracked by BIAL following a public outrage and protest from drivers and passengers.