MP urges BIAL to roll back new pick-up rules at Bengaluru airport | Bengaluru News

Bengaluru: Chikkaballapur MP K Sudhakar urged Bangalore International Airport Ltd (BIAL) to reinstate the old parking and pick-up arrangements at Kempegowda International Airport (KIA), calling it inconvenient for passengers and disruptive for taxi drivers.At a meeting with BIAL officials and other stakeholders Tuesday, the MP demanded that the recently introduced pick-up policy at Terminal 1 should be rolled back. Taxi unions and private operators had approached the govt earlier, alleging that the revised rules had impacted their earnings and caused inconvenience to passengers.

Under the new policy at Terminal 1, private taxi operators are allowed to take passengers only from designated pick-up points at parking zones P3 and P4, located around 800 metres from the arrival area. The change triggered protests from airport taxi drivers, who accused the airport operator of favouring app-based aggregators. Sudhakar said 18,000–20,000 youngsters from Chikkaballapur, Bengaluru Rural, Kolar, Tumakuru and nearby districts rely on airport-taxi services for income, supporting nearly 1 lakh dependants. “Since Dec 8, drivers were shifted to distant pick-up zones, leading to operational challenges and loss of income. The earlier parking arrangement should be restored and passengers must have the freedom to choose their service provider,” the MP said.Transport minister Ramalinga Reddy is expected to hold a follow-up meeting with BIAL and senior govt officials Wednesday to resolve the issue.