Pune: Landing Flyers at the airport find it difficult to find transportation because authority no longer allows autorickshaws to enter the place to pick up passengers.
About a month ago, the airport authorities had removed the pre-paid autorickshaw booth from the arrival area.
Now, the autorickshaws are parked along the new airport road, which runs parallel to the airport building, and close to the number two parking lot.
Pune Director Pune Santosh Dhoke said the autorickshaws could not pick up passengers from the airport again but were allowed to drop leaflets.
“Pick-up from the airport by autorickshaw is not in the guidelines but I have asked the headquarters to make arrangements,” he said.
The autorickshaw driver doesn’t have much clarity about the problem.
“We were told that the residence was just before independence day,” said a driver of the Autorickshaw and Union members who provided pre-paid services.
“Our license to operate from the airport ended on August 30 and the authorities have assured us that it will be updated.
However, after a while, we were told that there was no provision for the autorickshaw standing at the airport,” he said.
Passengers are now forced to walk to the autorickshaws near the number two parking lot or we ask them to wait near the gate until we bring our vehicle, he said.
The other autorickshaw driver said that with the prepaid booth removed from the place, many leaflets were tricked by other drivers.
“Our services have fixed rates for various places.
Now, we are waiting to sit outside the airport and convince leaflets that we are prepaid services,” he said.
Sadhna Goswami, who flew from Pune Airport recently, said he could see Ola and Uber’s booth but there was no standard autorickshaw.
“I have to pay Rs 230 to go to Kondhwa from the airport in the autorickshaw but the cost of a taxi is more than RS 320.
For single passengers with fewer luggage, the autorickshaws are the best choice,” said Goswami.
Nilesh Prabhakar (48), who landed at Pune airport earlier this week, said he often flew from Delhi and usually took a car to Khahhwa.
“Taxis are expensive and there are examples when my vehicle is canceled by the driver and I have to pay charges,” Prabhakar said, adding that he had to walk 40-50 meters to the end of the parking lot to take the autorickshaw.
Recently, Pune MP Gigies Bapa, who is also the Chair of the Pune Airport Advisory Committee, wrote to the civil avidious Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia highlighted this problem.