KOZHIKODE: With Mango cabs set to start services in Kozhikode on Monday and spreading to Kannur, Thrissur, Wayanad and Palakkad in the coming days, different sections of society shared their opinion with the new system of taxis, which are expected to be cheaper than traditional taxis. While taxi drivers see a threat in the new service, regular passengers welcomed it.
For those who travel by taxis regularly, the on-call taxi services are far better than the other taxis. “Whether they are Mango cabs or Uber taxis, they do not charge for return trips, which we otherwise pay. The Rs 99 per four km is a good option to be begin with, as offered by the Mango cabs,” said Radhika Gautham, a homemaker from Nadakkavu.
Mango cabs will start operating from Kannur on July 15, Thrissur on July 22, Palakkad on August 5 and Wayanad on August 10, following its successful launch in Thiruvananthapuram and Kochi, said general manager Vishnu A. Kumar. While the traditional taxis charge Rs 1600 for 100km, as the minimum charge, the Mango cabs charge Rs 99 for the first four kilometers, which is the minimum charge. In addition, they do not charge for the return journey. For every extra kilometer, the old taxis charge Rs 10- Rs 12.
However, for the already under pressure drivers in the city, especially the She-taxi drivers, the introduction of Mango cabs would be another blow. “We are already suffering due to lack of promotion and advertisements. If the other on-call private taxis also come , they will invade into whatever space we had among the city passengers,” said She taxi driver Ancy Cheriyan.
Grace travel agency owner George Sebastian, who runs the agency for nearly 13 years in the city, believes that they would get the same regular passengers even after other on-call taxis come to the city. However, he says that protests by the taxi drivers would not last as they cannot afford to hold sit-in protests risking the already low number of customers.
