Taking Cab from the Airport at mid-night

[Namuru_Bangaloru]

How safe is it to take the cab from the Airport at mid-night? As most of the international flight arrive & departure at odd times.

Any suggestions or advice is very much appreciated.

Thank you,

[justdoit2552]

I lived in b'lore till Feb 2007, I have always taken cab to go back home at mid-nights. It was safe. If your little worried about safety, you could book the at the Airport departure exit.

[DosaiLvr]

BLR is relatively safe but that is not an excuse for disregarding personal safety.

I guess a lot depends on factors such as:

1) your destination - say a cab to a hotel on MG rd. vs a cab ride to remote outskirts
2) Your gender / age to a large extent
3) Your safety depends on any precautions you take during hiring and your cab ride. If it were my daughter I would advice her to:
3.a) Hire a cab from a known source if possible (travel company, pre-paid etc)
3.b) Carry a mobile phone.
3.c) Ensure that there are no other passengers in the cab except you and the driver
3.d) Appear confident, bold and daring

There are several other things that one could do to give the cabbie an impression that you are a localite, know the route to your destination, that there is someone expecting you at the destination, etc. etc. The suggestions are to prempt any "trouble" from the cabbie and assumiong that your destination takes you thru' long stretches w/o other traffic etc.

New airport could give cabbies an opportunity to take unwary passengers on lonely stretches of roads w/ the pretext of short cuts etc...

[Namuru_Bangaloru]

Thank you guys for the advise and suggestion. Helps a lot.

[Old-Spice2]

I would add one more point to DL suggestions:

- spend the night in a nearby airport hotel and take the cab in the daylight. The extra expense may be worth it. When I was young, I used to spend the night in the railway station waiting room and take the first bus in the morning. It was to save the high night charges for taxi/auto-rik.

[Namuru_Bangaloru]

Thank you Old-Spice2.

I was thinking of the same. Not worth the risk.

[layman]

The answer to your qn will also depend on whether the passenger is male or female and whether he/she has valuable materials with them. In Chennai airport when I go, there is prepaid taxi which you can book thro' a counter inside airport itself. I presume that they will have the trace of the travel with details of the car no., driver name etc. I always take the prepaid taxi thro' the counter inside the airport instead of taking any Tom, Dick & Harry taxi.

[Namuru_Bangaloru]

Thanks Layman. I agree it depends on lot of factors. But the bottom line is safety. Bengaluru has changed (for the worst).

[direstraits88]

Thanks Layman. I agree it depends on lot of factors. But the bottom line is safety. Bengaluru has changed (for the worst).[/quote]

Taking a cab at midnight is the same as taking one during daylight.. Bangalore roads are crowded at 2 AM just like @ 2 PM. So there's no security problem using the pre-paid cabs.

There are two pre-paid options inside the airport. As you exit after picking up the baggage, you will see counters for both services.. You won't miss it.

1) KSTDC run pre-paid option to hire the usual Maruthi Omni type Van. Fares are pretty decent. It may run 300-600 rupees depending on the location.

2) Akbar Travels - They are the exclusive provider of cab services including A/C Cars. I would use it if you don't mind the extra cost..They are professional and run larger cars like Tata Indigo or Ford Ikon. (still certainly cheaper than staying in a hotel :)

I've used both service late nights from the airport in the past 2 weeks. Rates are fixed depending on location. Drivers are friendly and helpful. It doesn't hurt to tip them the equivalent of a dollar or 2.

Ofcourse, it helps to know the general direction to your destination instead of just the address particularly in the outskirts...

If you are a lady travelling alone... then you may want someone to come and pick you up..

If you are travelling after March, then you will be landing in the new airport. And they have only shortlisted luxury cab providers in the new airport.. Be ready to shell out 1k or 2k for a ride home.

[HighTorque]

There was a pre-paid taxicab counter inside the airport, I used it in my previous visit. Ofcourse, the line may be long for that time of the night but you get the right fare and is registered. It is better to take them than going to the street and hauling a bogus pre-paid.

As far as safety goes, lets look at it from a broader perspective, its definition varies. Many things in India are not safe by western stds but then life has to go on.