Kaali-peeli taxis now offering 25% discount on Mumbai-Navi Mumbai route

In a bid to compete with app-based aggregators like Ola and Uber, kaali-peeli taxis will start offering a 25 percent discount on fares to commuters from today, albeit under certain conditions.

With kaali-peeli taxis losing market share to their technologically superior rivals, 9211 Cabs, the company that handles the backend implementation of taxi bookings on behalf of various taxi unions, announced a 25 percent discount for commuters starting October 4.

In order to get the 25 percent discount, commuters need to book a taxi from Mumbai to Navi Mumbai and make the booking via the taxi union’s app or call center (022-40029211).

The discount amount can range from anywhere between Rs 60 – 100 based on the destination and prevalent traffic conditions.

The luggage fees and toll need to be paid by the commuters, like always.

While commuters travelling from Navi Mumbai to Mumbai are not eligible for the 25 percent discount, they will still get 10 percent discount on the total fare. The discount will be applicable on the final meter reading.

According a source close to the development, the decision to offer discounts on the Navi Mumbai route came after a successful execution of a similar scheme on the Bandra-BKC route.

Going forward, based on the response to the discount scheme, the unions plan to offer discounts on other routes as well.

Since 2014, when app-based aggregators launched in the city, the likes of Ola and Uber have enjoyed a steady rise in the number of bookings thanks to the ease of booking, no refusals and transparent pricing.

In addition, while kaali-peeli taxis refused to ply commuters over short distances, the aggregators countered with cheaper long distance rides. As a result, commuters only opted for regular taxis for short distances and booked an Ola or Uber to travel long distances.

Most unions claim that they have lost anywhere between 30 to 50 percent of their business to app-based aggregators.