[girishglg]

We have been using the city taxi or the call taxi services for some or the other occassion be it airport transfer or travel to a party or meeting. We have an idea of the taxi operators in our city but when we step out to another city, we may need to have some more background knowledge before we go ahead and book a reliable city taxi. Some thing of the sort happened when I recently visited Kolkata where I did not find a proper review of reliable call/ city taxi operators in the city.
To maintain uniformity and ease of view, we could post the city name and operator name with the booking contact number (if not posted earlier) followed by your review or experience of the same. Let us limit our choices only to call taxi services that can be pre-booked for a partcular journey and not the taxis that we hail on the road.

Here are my choices from experiences in some cities-

Bangalore-

1. Fast Track Call Taxi - 08028889999
This has been my top choice while booking a call taxi around the city and especially drops to the railway station and bus stand. We have many other operators who do the airport run like Meru and Easycab but for other destination Fast Track does the job well. The added plus is that the have Indicas that cost much lesser per km than the others who have Logans/ Indigos. Generally with 2-3 persons in tow, Indicas work out for most ocassions unless you have a lot of luggage. Their call center is super efficient with a SMS confirmation before the time of travel and till date I have never been stood up. Earlier when they launched in Bangalore, there were many cars that were attached to them by smaller operators, but now they have a decent fleet of their own cars. Highly recommend the service.
2. CellCabs - 08060609090
They have been around for quite some time and have proved pretty reliable. They also have a tie up with BMTC for door to door pick up service for their airport volvo routes, however passengers end up travelling all the way to the airport in the cab itself after weighing the cost and convenience, hence the last mile service never picked up. In the many runs, there was a couple of instances when the cab did not turn up for a pick up at the railway station to home but thankfully it never happened vice versa (drop to airport/ r. station). All in all my second choice in Bangalore

Chennai-

1. Fast Track - 04424732020
It has been only Fast Track for me every time and at all times. Be it pick up / drops to Chennai Central or airport, travel hotels to our offices around the city or even casual outings, have always hired a Fast Track thanks to the most ill famous and atrocious autoriksha service who demand the moon for any run to any location, especially if you are a visitor to the city. There are other big call taxi operator that I have seen on road but I have never required to move out of Fast Track till now. Actually I moved to this service in Blr after experiencing their service in Chennai over the years.

[ks14]

Hi Girish,

Thanks for starting a new thread. I am adding Pune to the list. BTW Kolkata I remember is the cheapest for cabs once you haggle.

Pune

1. Wings Radio Cab 02040100100 Website:Car Rental Services India - Cab Rental Services, Car Rental In Pune, Cab Rental In Pune

I have been using Wings Radio Cab here in Pune for quite some time and found their services adequate.

Most of the time, drivers report on time. But, occasionally I found them to drive crazily though. A couple of times, the drivers there charged me 30 - 40% more for waiting charges. And sometimes, I found the line engaged and no response from them.

2. Traveltime 02066000000 Website: Traveltime

After getting fed up with Wings radio cab, I shifted to traveltime radio cabs.

I have used it thrice so far and found their services quite reliable. Once, their vehicle was rickety but it reached the destination in time though.

Originally Posted by girishglg

We have been using the city taxi or the call taxi services for some or the other occassion be it airport transfer or travel to a party or meeting. We have an idea of the taxi operators in our city but when we step out to another city, we may need to have some more background knowledge before we go ahead and book a reliable city taxi. Some thing of the sort happened when I recently visited Kolkata where I did not find a proper review of reliable call/ city taxi operators in the city.
To maintain uniformity and ease of view, we could post the city name and operator name with the booking contact number (if not posted earlier) followed by your review or experience of the same. Let us limit our choices only to call taxi services that can be pre-booked for a partcular journey and not the taxis that we hail on the road.

Here are my choices from experiences in some cities-

Bangalore-

1. Fast Track Call Taxi - 08028889999
This has been my top choice while booking a call taxi around the city and especially drops to the railway station and bus stand. We have many other operators who do the airport run like Meru and Easycab but for other destination Fast Track does the job well. The added plus is that the have Indicas that cost much lesser per km than the others who have Logans/ Indigos. Generally with 2-3 persons in tow, Indicas work out for most ocassions unless you have a lot of luggage. Their call center is super efficient with a SMS confirmation before the time of travel and till date I have never been stood up. Earlier when they launched in Bangalore, there were many cars that were attached to them by smaller operators, but now they have a decent fleet of their own cars. Highly recommend the service.
2. CellCabs - 08060609090
They have been around for quite some time and have proved pretty reliable. They also have a tie up with BMTC for door to door pick up service for their airport volvo routes, however passengers end up travelling all the way to the airport in the cab itself after weighing the cost and convenience, hence the last mile service never picked up. In the many runs, there was a couple of instances when the cab did not turn up for a pick up at the railway station to home but thankfully it never happened vice versa (drop to airport/ r. station). All in all my second choice in Bangalore

Chennai-

1. Fast Track - 04424732020
It has been only Fast Track for me every time and at all times. Be it pick up / drops to Chennai Central or airport, travel hotels to our offices around the city or even casual outings, have always hired a Fast Track thanks to the most ill famous and atrocious autoriksha service who demand the moon for any run to any location, especially if you are a visitor to the city. There are other big call taxi operator that I have seen on road but I have never required to move out of Fast Track till now. Actually I moved to this service in Blr after experiencing their service in Chennai over the years.

[GTO]

Nice initiative, thanks! We don't have a "taxi review" thread yet.

I'm a huge fan of Meru and use them ever so often (typically to / fro airport and on nights out). In fact, I've started preferring Meru over Party Hard Drivers (Link) for late nights; Meru works out cheaper and you don't have to worry about the safety of your car (valets, theft et al).

Mumbai

Meru Cabs : 022-44224422

Personally, I prefer booking a cab on merucabs.com itself. You can save your location (home / office) and receive a booking confirmation immediately. 9 out of 10 times, the Meru Cab I have booked has arrived before time. I find the charges reasonable too. On the flip side, their fleet is starting to show its age, and some cabs I sat in recently were in shoddy condition.

Another complaint with Meru cabs is the drivers try to wriggle out of accepting credit card payments. You have to be firm at the time of payment.

Related Threads:

Meru's Business Model

Alternative to Driving

[2500cc]

Originally Posted by GTO

Nice initiative, thanks! We don't have a "taxi review" thread yet.

I'm a huge fan of Meru and use them ever so often (typically to / fro airport and on nights out). In fact, I've started preferring Meru over Party Hard Drivers (Link) for late nights; Meru works out cheaper and you don't have to worry about the safety of your car (valets, theft et al).

+1 to Meru, In Bangalore earlier their service was very good, They dont go beyond 80Kmph, Drivers are well mannered and well dressed, Cars are kept very clean. However there was spat between the drivers and mgmt recently and many cabs were put on fire. Since then their service sucks big time. Hardly get cabs at the right time.

The other day was discussing with the cab driver and he mentioned that earlier they had a fleet of 3000+, but now there are hardly 1200 plying on the roads. Miss their service.

The other alternate is Easycabs (080-43434343) in Bangalore. Though these guys are good, they dont have any speed limits and they keep ripping on the road and have to remind them always to slow down.

[libranof1987]

Here's the review of 2 cab services I've used in Bangalore :

1) Meru Cabs :

First of all, it is very difficult to find a cab; somehow, all of them are always booked. During evenings, friday/saturday/sunday nights and on festive seasons, you just cannot get a cab. You'll have to reserve one hours before.

Fares :

6am to midnight : Rs. 70 (first 4 kms) and Rs. 17.50/km thereafter.
Midnight to 6am : Rs 77 (first 4 kms) and Rs. 19.25/km thereafrer
Waiting charges : None for first 20mins and then Rs. 10/15min thereafter.
You pay for toll.

Fares have been increased very steeply of late.

Also, there is a convenience charge if you book a cab thru' the phone. No charge if you book one online.

The website/call-centre mentions that the cabs have a card machine in it so that you can pay via credit/debit card but in the 5 cabs that I took, it either didn't work or wasn't there at all.

Meru Cabs | Book a taxi online for Mumbai, Bangalore, New Delhi, Hyderabad in India
08044224422

2) Easy Cabs :

It's relatively easier to get a cab booked.
They don't have the rates listed on the websites and I'm sure they have hiked rates since I last took one of their cabs so I'm not sure.

But no card machine.

Booking can be done via
Easy Cabs- Cab Service,Book a Cab,Online Cab Booking,Radio Taxi Cab
08043434343

Also, it's difficult to get a cab within 30min of you calling them.

[girishglg]

Booking for Fast Track city taxi over the internet can be done using the below link which is called 'Offline Booking' - One for Chennai and the other for All over India- Fast Track :: India's No1 Call Taxi
Have personally never done an online booking till now since their call centers do the job well, so not sure how efficient are they.

For Cell cabs one can use the following link to book online - http://mx1.celcabs.com/web_taxi/booking.php
Again do not have any personal experience of booking one through online. So if any one of you have done via internet booking do share your reviews for these operators.

[Marlon]

Chennai :

Fast Track Call Taxi Chennai :

Am sure this is everyone's first choice. Let me tell you the problems I have faced. Mostly every Monday morning (5 am )I book a fast track taxi to Airport.

Atleast 50% of the times they are not on time. I have to keep calling them up, their drivers , etc & my tension goes up...Taking this into consideration I always take a buffer of 30-45 mins and reach airport early and spend time in the Lounge.

They always try to take the longer route. Last time the driver tried to cheat me. When I got into the cab , I asked him for the meter, he told that he switched in on. I had a fishy feeling. After I got down at the airport, the guy opened the glove box and showed the meter Rs 310 with 12. 50 kms. Actual fare ( incl. 25% early morning extra) would be Rs 210-220 for around 10.5 km. I had to fight with him & he immd. knew I was a regular customer and asked me to pay him my regular fare.

So guys just beware and always check the meter is set to 'Zero'.

Fast track Pre-Paid from airport : These guys are the best. Mostly every friday back from airport I always prefer them. They charge premium fare with Minimum of Rs 450. Worth the extra bucks you pay. They dont cheat you. They drive carefully and good. No risk. Persons who are new to Chennai, please use this service. They dont expect tips also.


Govt. Pre-Paid Taxi from Airport: Try avoiding these black & yellow cabs. Not worth the fare you pay. Their minimum is around Rs 350. This is for Non- AC Ammby..Pay 25% extra and take the Fast track pre-paid. They even tried to cheat me & make extra buck. I wonder what will they do if a new person comes to chennai. Rash Driving and expect tips.


Mumbai :

Meru- If I have luggage or prefer Auto Rick.....Say no to Pre-Paid Taxi & Cool Cabs. Beware of touts in airport

[kutts]

Bangalore:

Meru Cabs: - You can book them online 24 hours earlier. They charge an extra 50/- if you book over phone. Prompt service, clean cabs, well mannered drivers. Price is high, but no haggling over the price or cheating. They also inspect the seats and floor after you get out of the vehicle to ensure nothing is left behind.

[Parthasarathig]

I'd say for Bangalore Meru Cabs is the best.
I had forgot to take my bag containing laptop, camcorder, camera and my psp after returning from the airport.
What i did is called up the Customer Centre and they tracked the cab with the driver's name i gave and within half an hour everything was returned to me as it had been kept.
This spoke volumes about their service and honesty and since then I've been using Meru Cabs.

I did face a serious issue with a driver once who was ill mannered towards my parents. Problem for him was he thought I was a non Bangalorean. That issue got taken care of after that.

[ghodlur]

Have been a regular user of Meru and Easy cabs and find both of them very efficient. Normally do the booking over the net and get the driver details over SMS 30 mins prior to pick up. On a couple of occasions had to hassle for credit card payment but it was done. Easy cabs on other hand offered 10% discount over the fare for Kingfisher bookings which you have tell them in advance. All you have to show is you KF Frequent flyer card.

The one thing which irks me the most is they dont include the toll amount in the total fare, I had to pay seperately everytime.

[Vid6639]

I've had a terrible time with Easycabs in Bangalore. My dad uses cabs on a daily basis for office commute and we have tried all cab agencies. Being daily usage I know the way these guys work inside out.

Meru Cabs - Bangalore:
Meru online system allows you to book a cab in advance. They give confirmation online that cab is available at your requested time. If cab is not available you will get an immediate notification saying unavailable. They also suggest incase cab is available 30mins earlier or after. Once confirmed 90% of the time your cab is assured. SMS with driver details is sent 30mins before your travel time. The 10% of the times when there is no SMS or there is a regret SMS, the call centre calls you back and asks you if you are ok with cab coming late by 30mins or 1hour. If your ok they will confirm, if not then your on your own. Cabs to airport are fairly easier to get than cabs within town. Mornings 8am-10am and evenings 5pm-8pm are peak hours and it's very difficult to get a cab sometimes even one day in advance for those times.

Easycabs - Bangalore:
Terrible system. Even if a cab is confirmed they can cancel it in last minute and many times no SMS or call syaing your booking is cancelled. You will come to know whether you are getting a cab or not only 30mins before your journey start time. Meru lets you know at the time of booking itself. Very high rate of not getting cabs. My dad has suffered many times with easycabs including one airport drop. Their cabs are in very shoddy condition and twice the Logan has broken down. Once on way to office and once at 5:30am when going to airport to catch a flight. Compared to Meru, they don't follow speed limits and drive very rash. I have stopped using Easycabs completely.

Comfort cabs - Bangalore:
Comfort cabs-City Taxi

Tel: 080-4900-5900

Relatively new entrant in the market and as of now they have only about 50-60 cabs. Cabs are nice and new bright red Fiesta Classics. Brand new cabs so feel good. Getting cabs is based on your luck but have found them to be the saviour for me when Meru cancelled and could not give me cabs. Last minute booking I always got through Comfort. Hope they increase the cab numbers. To me it looks like their drivers are all poached from Meru and Easycabs.

[Vince]

Originally Posted by Marlon

Chennai :

Fast Track Call Taxi Chennai :

Am sure this is everyone's first choice. Let me tell you the problems I have faced. Mostly every Monday morning (5 am )I book a fast track taxi to Airport.

Atleast 50% of the times they are not on time. I have to keep calling them up, their drivers , etc & my tension goes up...Taking this into consideration I always take a buffer of 30-45 mins and reach airport early and spend time in the Lounge.

Fast track Pre-Paid from airport : These guys are the best. Mostly every friday back from airport I always prefer them. They charge premium fare with Minimum of Rs 450. Worth the extra bucks you pay. They dont cheat you. They drive carefully and good. No risk. Persons who are new to Chennai, please use this service. They dont expect tips also.


Govt. Pre-Paid Taxi from Airport: Try avoiding these black & yellow cabs. Not worth the fare you pay. Their minimum is around Rs 350. This is for Non- AC Ammby..Pay 25% extra and take the Fast track pre-paid. They even tried to cheat me & make extra buck. I wonder what will they do if a new person comes to chennai. Rash Driving and expect tips.


Mumbai :

Meru- If I have luggage or prefer Auto Rick.....Say no to Pre-Paid Taxi & Cool Cabs. Beware of touts in airport

Reg Chennai, yes, if you are booking a FastTrack call-taxi for an early-morning flight, better add 1 hour to your buffer time! I remember once the drive came 45 mins late, and added to that, JUST as we were near the airport, he wanted to stop for petrol!!

Reg Taxi's from the Chennai airport to any place else, I agree with Marlon's post above. FastTrack charges a huge premium. My place was rs.750 by fasttrack and rs.520 by the govt. taxi.

There are a few more alternatives in Chennai, but have been stood up by 2 of them, OR they've never had cabs when I've needed them, so I've always stuck to FastTrack.


Reg. Mumbai : Are there any alternatives to Meru?

[anekho]

Chennai:

Fast Track: Absolutely hate these guys. They very seldom come on time and very seldom come unless you're trip will cost as much as an Airport/Central drop. Called them so many times at around 8:00 in the morning to book a taxi for 16:00 in the evening. They confirm, and give the trip ID number. All is well. Then out of nowhere at 15:55 they call and say 'Sorry, no cars available. Will 20:00 be ok?'. Then why do they even bother confirming in the morning? And this isn't a one off case. Happened to us at least 8-10 times in one month.

Not to mention if you do manage to get hold of one of their cars, the drivers drive like bats out of hell. Honestly, the rashest cabs on the streets of Chennai. Avoid.

044-24732020

Bharathi Call Taxi: Not used them as much as Fast Track, but whenever I have used them they've been excellent. Clean cars, disciplined driving and VERY polite drivers. Whenever I've called them they honestly say if they'll be able to send a car or not. Miles better than Fast Track.

044-28144259

Aviation Express: These guys specialize in Airport drops/pickups and only have larger vehicles like Innova/Tavera/Scorpio. Prepaid when you get them from the airport. Decently maintained vehicles, but they like driving fast to squeeze as many airport trips as possible in one shift. Take only if you're a lot of people or you have a lot of luggage.

044-24354073

Government Taxis: Operate from the Airport and Central Station. Pre-paid. No hassle. No A/C. Peaceful. These guys drive really slowly. Not because they want to but because the old Ambassadors can't go faster! Cheapest fares and good at late night (No A/C, remember?). Taking these cabs is like a trip down memory lane!


Bangalore:

Cel Cabs: Happens do be the only cab company we use when in Bengaluru. Mostly on time, decent cars, decent drivers. Good choice!

080-60609090

PS: Good thread, girishglg!

[Marlon]

Originally Posted by anekho

Bharathi Call Taxi: Not used them as much as Fast Track, but whenever I have used them they've been excellent. Clean cars, disciplined driving and VERY polite drivers.
044-24354073

Government Taxis: Operate from the Airport and Central Station. Pre-paid. No hassle. No A/C. Peaceful. These guys drive really slowly. Not because they want to but because the old Ambassadors can't go faster! Cheapest fares and good at late night (No A/C, remember?). Taking these cabs is like a trip down memory lane!

Bharathi - Have they changed now ?? Previously all their cars used to be Omni with no AC and worse than autos.Doors will not close properly and car rattles like hell.

Govt Taxi - I have a difference of opinion and I dont prefer them

[anekho]

Originally Posted by Marlon

Bharathi - Have they changed now ?? Previously all their cars used to be Omni with no AC and worse than autos.Doors will not close properly and car rattles like hell.

Those Omni's (without AC) are still there but to a lesser number AFAIK. Always asked them for Indica's and they've been good so far.

According to their site they have a whole range of cars.

Bharathi Call Taxi | Bharahi Call Taxi - Chnnaii | Call Taxi - Chennai.