Rickshaws, cabs in Pune charge up to four times the usual fare

As the city recorded an intense spell of rain late on Monday evening, it was a harrowing experience for commuters at the railway station and airport.

Shivajinagar weather station received 104mm rainfall from 10pm on Monday till 5:30 am on Tuesday of which 81mm rainfall was reported within two hours between 9:30pm and 11:30pm on Monday.

At Pune station, passengers had to wade through water as it gushed inside the platform and covered railway tracks as well.

Most parts of central and south Pune faced waterlogging with the famous Dagdusheth temple too bearing the brunt of heavy rains.

Passengers complained that they were fleeced by private cab and autorickshaw divers who took advantage of the situation since Pune Mahanagar Parivahan Mahamandal Limited (PMPML) buses too were not functional.

The autorickshaw and cabs were charging anywhere from ₹300 to ₹600 for a distance of 5 to 10 kilometres.

From Pune railway station to Shivajinagar normal charges are less than ₹80, but passengers were charged ₹300 and going longer distances to Kothrud was ₹500 to ₹600.

“I came to Karve Nagar from Pune railway station and the auto driver charged me ₹500. I had no choice as most autos refused to ply on this route,” said Nachiket Divate.

Passengers stranded at the station too had no shelter from the rains for even the waiting area was flooded with knee-deep water, trying their best to keep warm.

Meanwhile, the scene at Pune international airport too was not very appealing as with late arrivals of the flights due to rains, there was a huge rush for getting into Ola and Uber cabs which instead lengthen the process of getting out of the airport.

“There was a huge queue to get a cab. The waiting time was around 40 minutes,” said a flyer who landed at Lohegaon airport.