Kolkata: App-bikes are rapidly emerging as the city’s new last-mile lifeline, stepping into the gap created by the shortage of autos on the road following the soaring LPG prices.A sharp rise in auto LPG rates — from around Rs 58 per litre in Jan to nearly Rs 83 by April — has pushed many auto drivers off the roads and forced others to hike fares, disrupting the city’s traditional last-mile network that feeds the Kolkata Metro. Moreover, the long wait at refilling queues are leaving many auto drivers with little time to ply. In this vacuum, app bikes have occupied prime positions outside metro stations — from Sector V and Sovabazar to Tollygunge and Exide — offering quick rides to nearby neighbourhoods. “Earlier, I used to wait 20 minutes for an auto after getting down at Sector V Metro station to reach my New Town office. Now I just book a bike and leave in five minutes,” said IT professional Abhik Ghosh. Another professional, who would take an auto from Rabindra Sarobar to her home in Behala, said, “I have to wait for autos in the evening for over 30 minutes on some days. I have switched to bike taxis. They may cost double but I get a comfortable ride home,” said Ipsita Saha, a resident of Sahapur.Bike taxi operators said from the very initial days of the auto shortage on roads, they started to station themselves outside metro stations to make their services more easily available to passengers. “We get continuous bookings from metro passengers from 8 am till noon. People have started preferring bikes as the few autos that are plying are charging more,” said Nawab Molla, who plies outside Sector V. Another operator waiting outside the Sovabazar station, said the demand spiked sharply during office hours. “We queue up outside the gate. Passengers come out of the station and book instantly Sometimes, they bypass the app and take a ride directly,” he said.Commuters cited time and reliability as key reasons for the shift. “Autos are either unavailable or are charging more. Some are carrying five passengers. Bike taxis drop me at the door without bargaining,” said a student, Priyanka Shaw near Tollygunge. Auto drivers, however, defended the fare hike. “Fuel cost has gone up massively. If we don’t increase fares, we cannot survive,” said an auto operator on the Tollygunge-Sakherbazar route.But cops in Kolkata as well as Bidhannagar are not too happy with the shift. “While autos still park at designated stands away from stations, bike riders clog the road right outside the Sector V station gates, slowing down traffic below the Nabadiganta flyover. We deploy extra personnel to keep the road free of jams in peak hours,” said an officer.
