For Alivia Banerjee, 26, an associate education counsellor from North 24 Parganas, now based in Delhi, repeated cancellations and inflated fares have made booking app-based rides from the airport a stressful task.
“I had two really frustrating experiences with Uber from Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose Airport. Both times, the fare suddenly shot up to an unusually high amount right when I was about to book the ride. I assumed it was just surge pricing because of peak hours, so I went ahead and confirmed the trip. But to my surprise, as soon as I confirmed the drop location, the drivers cancelled the ride without any explanation.
The first time, it was late at night in the first week of September, and I was really tired after my flight. The fare kept fluctuating, and after waiting for nearly 15 minutes, I had to rebook multiple times before someone finally accepted. The same thing happened a month later, again the prices were inflated, and drivers kept cancelling after confirming the ride. Booking a cab from the airport has become really stressful,” she said.
For many flyers arriving at or departing from Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport, the real journey often begins after landing — in the form of haggling, overcharging and last-minute cancellations by cab drivers.
From erratic fares to refusals and offline ride demands, several commuters have shared their frustrating experiences of booking app-based and yellow taxis to and from Kolkata airport.
Tathagata Ghosh, 35, a PR associate now working in Delhi, recalled an unpleasant early morning trip.
“I had a 6am flight to Delhi, on 28 October, and I had started booking my ride to the airport at 1am. The driver came on time but was very rude, and mid-way through the ride I sensed that he was taking a longer route to the airport for no particular reason,” he said.
“When I booked the flight it showed in the app Rs 650, as that is what they generally take from Parnasree to the airport. But upon reaching the airport, the fare showed close to Rs 900. When I asked him why he was charging more, he tried to justify that by saying the distance the cab travelled was more, that’s why he had to charge more. This made no sense to me because the driver himself chose the longer route — and I had to pay for it,” he added.
Abinash Mukherjee, 32, a graphic designer who commutes frequently between Kolkata and Mumbai for work, said getting a fair-priced ride from the airport at night is often a challenge.
“Getting a cab from Kolkata airport at night can be quite a struggle. While taxis are available, many drivers refuse to go by the meter and demand extra money, sometimes double the usual fare — especially if you’re heading towards Behala or other distant areas,” said Mukherjee.
“It becomes frustrating after a long flight when instead of a smooth ride home, you have to haggle or wait longer for a fair deal. I once had to wait nearly 30 minutes past midnight because three drivers in a row quoted me almost twice the meter rate. The normal fares at this time are around Rs 600-700 but I was asked to pay almost double of that. The authorities really need to ensure stricter checks to stop this overcharging practice,” he added.
Shivam Gupta, 26, a music producer and audio engineer from south Kolkata, said that while he generally manages to get rides without major issues, some drivers still try to bypass the system. “The cab drivers generally don’t ask for more from me. From the airport to my house in south Kolkata is generally (if I land at night or evening) around Rs 900-950. And during surge hours, the price can go up to Rs 1,200. The drivers do say to increase Rs 50 or Rs 100 to the quoted price in the app, which is fine for me to pay. But, I won’t get it on the bill as I get the reimbursement from my company.
Kaustav Kundu, 27, who works at Amazon, faced surge pricing during a late-night arrival from Goa.
“My flight from Goa landed at Kolkata around 11pm on 27 October. At that time, the initial rush from the last few flight arrivals was still present, but things were winding down. I opted for an app-based cab as they are generally the most reliable at that hour,” said Kundu.
“The main waiting areas for these cabs were clearly marked, but there was a significant surge pricing due to the late hour and high demand from the passengers of the last few inbound flights. I had to wait around 20-30 minutes for a driver to accept the ride request at the peak surge as they were asking to pay double the fare and go offline. Which was definitely not an alternative and is totally not recommended due to safety concerns,” he added.
“I ended up paying around Rs 950 for an Alto including the mandatory airport parking/access charge (which is often around Rs 100 for app-cabs at the airport). The same distance during a regular working hours, say 9am or 6pm, would likely cost me in the range of Rs 650 to Rs 750 for a similar cab. While the base fare is lower, the potential for traffic congestion means the travel time would be much longer,” he said.
Abhishek Dutta, 29, a senior marketing executive at ITC Limited, had a similar late-night ordeal.
“The last time I tried getting a cab from Kolkata airport was around 3.30am after a late-night flight from Bangalore on 17 October. The Ola and Uber apps showed available cars, but most drivers either cancelled or called asking for extra cash. After waiting about 15 minutes, I finally got a local yellow taxi from the stand. He asked for Rs 700 to go to Salt Lake Sector I — a ride that costs about Rs 350 – Rs 400 during the day on Ola.
The driver did agree to switch on the meter, but the fare still came close to Rs 600 because of night surcharge and luggage handling. Overall, it was okay, but honestly, getting a cab at that hour in Kolkata is a bit of a headache as drivers often quote random prices and app rides are unreliable late at night. During regular hours, the same trip usually costs Rs 350 on Ola/Uber or around Rs 400 in a metered taxi,” he said.
The common thread among passengers’ accounts is clear: late-night cab travel to and from Kolkata Airport remains unpredictable, with commuters calling for stricter checks and more reliable enforcement of fare regulations.
