Prepaid taxi booking at airport: Passengers face inconvenience in absence of e-payment option

kolkata: Passengers booking taxi from the prepaid taxi counters in Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International (NSCBI) Airport are allegedly getting harassed as only cash payment is accepted while booking a taxi.

For the past few months, the issue has become a major problem due to which passengers had to wait for long as they do not have change or try to withdraw money from nearby ATM counters.

If any passenger is unable to manage cash for booking a taxi, he or she had to book an online cab. Sources informed that earlier payment through debit cards were accepted but due to some technical issues the system often malfunctioned. The prepaid taxi counter was managed by the Bidhnnagar City Police but managing manpower and booth maintenance was given to the Progressive Taxi Mens' Union. The money used to be credited into the bank account of the Bidhannagar City Police from where the union used to receive a certain amount for the manpower and maintenance of the booth.

Recently, the union has bagged the tender and it has been decided that from now on the union will receive the payment and submit a portion of it to Bidhnnagar City Police's bank account like the system in Howrah railway station prepaid taxi counter.