Just a day after announcing that Bangalore International Airport Limited (BIAL) will levy an entry fee from private and commercial vehicles at the Kempegowda International Airport, the airport authorities have decided to revoke this decision. The idea was suspended amid protests and backlash from drivers and private vehicle owners as well.
Bengaluru Airport Authorities Revoke Decision To Charge Entry Fee
On Sunday, BIAL implemented a pay-and-use system for private and commercial vehicles entering the Kempegowda International Airport. According to the airport authorities, this was done to facilitate smoother traffic flow at the airport entrance. The vehicles were levied an entry fee of ₹150 and more, depending on the time they stayed at the airport. This resulted in protests and a public backlash towards the airport authorities. That’s why, just a day after its implementation, the decision to charge an entry fee was revoked.
While BIAL has not made any official announcement about the reason for the rollback, the public outcry is being considered the main reason. According to reports, the airport authorities did not give any prior notice about this new entry fee policy. They took the cab drivers by surprise on Monday morning when they were asked to pay ₹150 for a waiting period of just seven minutes. This resulted in many heated arguments with the airport officials. Many commercial vehicle owners even planned to stage a protest against this new policy, which thankfully was withdrawn after the outrage.
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BIAL Original Plan & Public’s Outrage To It
As per reports, Bengaluru Airport’s new stay and overstay tariff was to be implemented on private and commercial vehicles entering arrival pickup lanes at Terminals 1 and 2. For this, the private vehicles were allowed free access for the first seven minutes. They were then charged ₹150 for staying up to 14 minutes.
The commercial vehicles were asked to pay ₹150 for the first seven minutes and ₹300 for waiting time of up to 14 minutes. The entry fee for buses was ₹600 and tempo travellers were to be charged ₹300. The Bengaluru Airport authorities planned to levy this entry fee automatically through the vehicle FASTag. This led to massive outrage and backlash from both private and commercial vehicle owners and even online. Seeing this, BIAL had to revoke the decision and suspend the idea altogether.
What’s your take on the entry fee the airport authorities decided to levy initially? Let us know in the comments!
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