Debashish Chakraborty,
Cossipore.

Taxi drivers face a tough time after 10 pm. They are forced to shell out money to appease corrupt cops, failing which they are harassed. Many taxi drivers render services to passengers in times of emergency. So taxis should be allowed to charge 50 per cent extra after midnight.

Govinda Bakshi,
Budge Budge

If hassle-free taxi services are available throughout the night, passengers would not mind paying 50 per cent extra.

Anil Kumar Sen,
Ram Chandra Chatterjee Lane.

Taxi drivers oblige only if the destination suits them. Since most drivers refuse to return change to passengers and also doctor the meters, they end up earning much more than the actual fare. Of course, theirs is a tough profession. So 15 to 20 per cent extra at night is acceptable.

Md Ayub,
Bright Street.

Most taxis do not ply at night and those that do charge exorbitant amounts from passengers. The only solution to the problem is to keep the pre-paid taxi booth open 24 hours a day.

Kanai Saha,
Gauri Bari Lane.

Thanks to the hike in prices of fuel, taxi fares have been increased several times in the recent past. So increasing taxi fares by 50 per cent at night is unacceptable. A lower rate of increase can be considered on humanitarian grounds.

H.M. Jain,
Lake Town.

Most taxi meters are tampered with. Drivers ask for an extra Rs 10 to 20 for a journey to even a centrally-located place at 10 pm. Neither do most of them return change. There is no extra burden on drivers who do night duty, because most of them work for a maximum of 10 hours. They refuse rides through the day choosing only destinations that suit them. I do not find any justification for charging 50 per cent extra at night.

Indranil Sengupta,
Salt Lake.

Taxi fares are already high. Implementing this system will only give the drivers more scope to dupe passengers. Instead, round-the-clock prepaid counters at railway stations and the airport will help. Also, passengers must have an assurance that if they are harassed the driver will be pulled up.

Tanmoy Ghosh,
Address not given.

Since taxi service at night is highly essential, the drivers may be allowed to charge extra but a 50 per cent hike would be too much. If the proposed system is introduced, most drivers would rather work at night than during day. That’s why a provision can be made for the driver to charge say, an extra Rs 20 on the metered amount.

Neeraj Chowdhary,
Mominpur.

An event reported in the media some days ago showed what passengers face at Howrah station after 10 pm. Not more than 10 to 20 per cent extra should be charged at night.

Rimli Datta,
Salt Lake.

Extra money will act as an incentive for drivers to ply late at night. Taxis are undoubtedly essential during an emergency at night. And since taxi drivers risk their lives and face a lot of discomfort working during these odd hours, the proposed charge will protect their interests.

Barsha Chabaria,
Rabindranagar.

Driving a taxi at night is a hazardous job. Hence, charging a little more can be accepted. But charging 50 per cent extra is too much and can be accepted only for journeys to remote areas.

Chameli Pal,
Batanagar.

Yes. There is nothing unethical in the proposal, and the claim is quite justifiable. The cabbie must be compensated for foregoing a good night’s sleep just to reach the passenger home. Club hoppers and party animals, who have fun at night, can easily afford the extra 50 per cent.

Anandarup Ghoshal,
Baguiati.

Yes, why not? The driver has the right to demand compensation for working at night. Passengers are scarce at night. And, there are other dangers as well.

Soham Gupta,
Anil Roy Road.

Cabs are required from midnight to early morning mainly in emergency situations, when other means of transport are unavailable. The idea of an extra 50 per cent is acceptable since it will stop drivers from harassing passengers, prevent doctoring of meters and the extra money will make up for the driver’s loss during the return journey due to lack of passengers.

Samita Pal,
Kalindi.

Fifty per cent extra is a burden on people. The sum should be reasonable.

Saurabh Bhalotia,
Lake Town.

Allowing taxis to charge 50 per cent more is sanctioning a form of extortion. People will accept it more as a burden than a compensation for the service rendered by the driver. A fixed amount could be charged as night charge irrespective of the distance travelled.

Lalita Agarwal,
Manicktala Main Road.

The taxi fare has gone up considerably and yet the services provided leave a lot to be desired. We already have to contend with refusal as well as boorish behaviour from many drivers. Moreover, the number of taxis with tampered metres is staggering. When we are already paying inflated fares there is no need to pay extra between midnight and 6 am.

Shiv Shanker Almal,
Lower Rawdon Street.

There is nothing wrong with taxis charging 50 per cent extra at night.

Sounak Chakraborty,
Baranagar

Taxis should not charge more because the fares are high already. The transport department and the taxi unions should jointly make a roster system so that taxis can take turns to ply either on the day or the night shifts. The taxis can sport stickers indicating the shifts they are on.

Hara Lal Chakraborty,
Arabinda Nagar.

Since passengers are few at night, to make his business viable the taxi driver has to charge more. If this additional fare is not paid we should not expect to get taxis late at night.

Tanmoy Das Lala,
Salt Lake.

Night jobs are very tiring but that is not an excuse for demanding higher fare. Of course, if the increasing fixed costs pose a problem, then the taxi associations should allot work to drivers in shifts.