Six share-a-cab services in Mumbai to make your ride to office smoother

The services – from Lower Parel-Kalachowki, Currey Road-Saibaba Path, Dadar east-KEM hospital, Matunga road station-Dharavi, Parel TT-Sewree bus depot and Haffkine Colony-Sewree bus depot in central Mumbai – will help passengers reach the nearest railway stations and vice versa.

To provide a cheaper, faster mode of public transport and reduce traffic snarls, the Mumbai Metropolitan Region transport authority (MMRTA) recently approved six new share-a-taxi routes in the island city. The taxi unions will decide the date from which the services will be launched.

The services – from Lower Parel-Kalachowki, Currey Road-Saibaba Path, Dadar east-KEM hospital, Matunga road station-Dharavi, Parel TT-Sewree bus depot and Haffkine Colony-Sewree bus depot in central Mumbai – will help passengers reach the nearest railway stations and vice versa. (Hindustan Times)

The services – from Lower Parel-Kalachowki, Currey Road-Saibaba Path, Dadar east-KEM hospital, Matunga road station-Dharavi, Parel TT-Sewree bus depot and Haffkine Colony-Sewree bus depot in central Mumbai – will help passengers reach the nearest railway stations and vice versa.

The routes are mainly in areas that have emerged as new commercial and business hubs.

The MMRTA has fixed fares in the range of Rs7 to Rs14, for taxis with a seating capacity of four passengers. For instance, the fare for a 1.5-km stretch from Currey Road station to Saibaba Path in Parel is Rs7, while it is Rs10 for the 2-km route from Lower Parel station to Kalachowki.

According to RTO sources, passengers will be charged Rs1-2 less, if the taxis have a seating capacity of five or six.

Currently, 95 share-a-taxi services are operational in the city. The fare is decided by dividing the sum of the amount for the entire ride and 33% incentive with the number of passengers.

The decision to introduce these services has been taken in view of the increasing traffic on roads owing to the ongoing Metro and mono rail work and the poor frequency of BEST buses.

“Traffic congestion on roads will reduce, if more number of people travel by public transport,” said Subhash Pedamkar, regional transport officer, Tardeo RTO, adding the services will offer respite to passengers.

The RTOs, in coordination with the traffic police, taxi unions and BMC, can introduce share-a-taxi services on routes where they feel the need to regulate traffic, after getting a nod from the MMRTA. The authorities had proposed the services on 64 routes, of which six have been approved.

AL Quadros, veteran taxi union leader, said even they had suggested several routes, but the authorities didn’t give its nod.