The next time a taxi driver refuses to ferry you, reach for your cellphone. An SMS will be enough to bring the driver to book, claims Calcutta police.

Lalbazar launched the service last week, allowing people to lodge taxi-refusal complaints by texting the vehicle’s registration number to the police control room.

“We started the service since taxi refusal is common in Calcutta. Key in the word ‘taxi’, the registration number of the vehicle and the place and time of refusal and send the message to 575756 to lodge a complaint,” said joint commissioner (traffic) Ranvir Kumar.

“A case will be registered for minor traffic violation. Taxi drivers are fined Rs 100 for each such offence. SMS is an easy way to lodge a documented complaint. Senior officers will make sure that the drivers are penalised.”

Kumar could not, however, say how many taxis are hauled up every month for refusing to ferry people.

Vodafone and Airtel charge customers Rs 3 per SMS, while Tata Indicom and Reliance customers will have to pay Rs 2. BSNL charges Re 1 for each SMS.

Calcuttans also have the option of calling 9830010000, 9830811111 or 1073 to lodge a complaint. They can collect a taxi refusal complaint card from a traffic sergeant or traffic guard, fill it up and post it.