Bangalore's radio taxi service, scheduled to start by the end of August, has hit a roadblock. Reports in local dailies on the delays plaguing the service predicted that the service would not start till January 1999. This has deterred the 20-odd taxi drivers who were about to receive delivery of Fiat Unos and Maruti Omnis this week.
"Drivers who were about to start operating have been scared away. Almost 75 per cent of the drivers have expressed reservations now. Many were willingly to come forward to buy cars and join the service. We could have started the service by the first week of September, but now we have to start all over again," said Team Link manager S Subramanian. Anxiety on the part of drivers is justified, as they will have to pay interest on an idle car for four months if the service is postponed to January. The service has had more than its share of delays and controversies. It has been on the cards since 1997, though it was taken up in earnest only since July 1998. The agreement was signed on August 6, and the service was to start by August 20.
There was a lot of confusion among operators on how much they will earn from it, how much they will pay in airtime charges and whether they will be able to pay interest on the vehicle. Team Link has waived airtime charges for the first two months, and has offered to provide easy finance for the Kenwood radio set. "We had built up a relationship with the drivers. We had offered help, as our survival depends on them. But, now we have to start from scratch," Subramanian said. Attempts by autorickshaw and taxi drivers' associations to scuttle the service have been hinted at and blamed for the delay. The High Court order by Justice Saldhana said the service should replace autorickshaws in the city. Though a complete substitution of autorickshaws will not be possible, radio taxis were expected to be a less polluting option.
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Delivery of 10 Fiat Unos and 12 Maruti Omnis will be made to drivers by Wednesday. It takes a day to fit the one-way radio. The drivers will have to be trained to use the trunking service. Team Link will conduct sessions to familiarise drivers with the system. Team Link hopes that it can recover lost ground and start the service by the second week of September.
Team Link will be able to break even with 250 taxis running continuously for three years. "We are not even looking at break-even now. We just want to start the service and worry about profitability down the line," Subramanian said. Team Link will be asking for permission to park the radio taxis at existing taxi parking areas at the airport, railway station and other public places.