Commuting to and from Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport (SVPIA) in Ahmedabad is set to become more expensive, with the airport introducing new access charges for commercial taxis from October 1.
Under the revised tariff, commercial cabs, including those operating through Ola, Uber, Rapido and Bharat Taxi, will be charged Rs 50 for each drop-off and Rs 200 for each pick-up at the airport. As the cab aggregators have not included the new charges in their fares, drivers are expected to recover the amount directly from passengers. The charges apply only to commercial yellow-plate vehicles.
The airport has also changed the designated commercial taxi pick-up location. The pick-up zone has been shifted from the International Terminal 2 (T2) area to Airport Circle near Hotel Ummed.
At Terminal 1 (T1), private vehicles will continue to get an eight-minute free pick-up period at the kerbside. After the grace period, parking charges will start at Rs 150 for up to 30 minutes.
For commercial vehicles, the parking charge after the eight-minute grace period has been increased from Rs 150 to Rs 200. The charge can go up to Rs 1,200 for parking between four and 24 hours.
At Terminal 2, commercial cabs will have to pay the standard Rs 200 pick-up and Rs 50 drop-off charges, along with duration-based parking fees for longer stays.
Airport authorities said access charges for commercial vehicles are common at major airports across India and are required to support investments in security, traffic management and other airport infrastructure.
In a statement, the airport management said significant expenditure is incurred on security systems, power supply, infrastructure maintenance and traffic management staff. The revised charges, it said, are in line with prevailing industry practices and are aimed at ensuring smoother passenger movement.
The airport management also highlighted facilities available to drivers, including air-conditioned rest areas, drinking water, washrooms, canteens and round-the-clock CCTV surveillance.