Bengaluru: Over the past week, commuters using ride-hailing apps in Bengaluru have been surprised—cab fares have consistently been lower than auto fares.
On March 17, Aradhana Agrawal, a communications professional, booked a cab from Yelahanka Railway Junction to Arakere BPL bus stop for ₹340, while an auto for the same trip was priced at ₹470. “It usually costs ₹600-700 for a cab, so this was unexpected,” she said. Similar trends have been observed on Uber, Ola, and Rapido, leading many to wonder if it was a technical glitch.
Metrolife tested multiple routes and found cab fares were often ₹10 to ₹50 lower than autos. For instance, on Monday, an Uber cab ride from Mahadevapura to Orion Mall cost between ₹245 and ₹319, while an auto cost ₹386. Similar price gaps were seen across the city.
Drivers Raise Concerns
C Sampath, general secretary of the Adarsh Auto and Taxi Drivers’ Union, calls this a strategy to push passengers toward cabs. “Once people get used to cabs, the fares will go up,” he warned. Auto drivers have reported a sharp drop in bookings, with some waiting hours without getting a ride. Cab drivers, too, claim they are struggling to meet daily targets due to fluctuating demand.
Some passengers speculate the lower fares are due to seasonal or festival discounts. Meanwhile, neither Uber nor Ola have responded to queries about the pricing shift.
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