Bhubaneswar railway station is on course to set up booking kiosks for cab rental services such as Uber, Ola, and others. The Railway authorities have taken this decision keeping in mind the convenience of the passengers. The cab services will get parking lots against a fee. This move is expected to generate more revenues for East Coast Railway (ECoR) through license fees.
In the current scenario, app-based cabs are unable to park on the station premises due to stiff opposition by auto drivers. Due to this, the passengers are required to walk till Tanishq or LalChand Jewellers, near Master-Canteen to reach the pick-up point. A senior ECoR official concerning this matter said, “We have been trying to offer Ola and Uber services at Bhubaneswar station for a long time now as it will be convenient to the elderly and passengers with heavy luggage”
According to officials, they have already been receiving calls over offers for setting kiosks at the station under the Railways ‘New, Innovative Non-Fare Revenue Ideas Scheme’ (NINFRIS).
“We are planning to provide them parking space beside the station, near Hotel Excellency where there is space. In case we fail to arrange the parking space, we have asked the cab aggregators to bridge the gap in services by arranging licensed porters to help passengers with their luggage to pick-up spots outside the station.” the official added.