Taxis in Darjeeling Running a Daylight Loot

The already busy routes connecting to Darjeeling during the Dashain season have led to widespread harassment of people traveling to different places, especially with landslides hitting the region.

With very few taxis in the syndicate unable to cater to an unreasonably large number of passengers, flying taxis (jhapkas) were seen demanding up to ₹1,000 per seat to Siliguri, with the minimum being ₹500.

While some taxis justified the extra fare on the pretext of taking a detour due to landslides, others were bold enough to say, “Bazaar ma gaadi chaina” (there are no taxis in the town). Even in the case of a detour, the additional travel time would only be around 30 minutes to an hour.

Some syndicate drivers were seen chasing away touts and other stray drivers trying to pick up passengers for higher fares – but their efforts proved futile.

At a time when the entire hills are struggling with disaster, it is only expected that everyone, including the driver community, come forward to help people instead of taking advantage of the situation to exploit them financially.

It is also alarming that such activities are taking place openly at the heart of Darjeeling, on the road running right next to the Thana. Why are there no regulations or scrutiny in place for these taxis? This is especially concerning given that inflated taxi fares during the festive season are an open secret.

The administration must take immediate steps to ensure the welfare of passengers across all routes, rather than allowing them to be openly exploited.