11 February,2026 03:53 PM IST | Mumbai | Amarjeet Singh
The road to the recently inaugurated Navi Mumbai International Airport. FILE PIC/ATUL KAMBLE
For many travelling to the Navi Mumbai International Airport (NMIA), the most turbulent part of the journey is not the flight but getting to the terminal. Across the region's key transit points, commuters are complaining of steep and erratic fares charged by app-based cab aggregators, prompting a shift towards local autos, shared taxis and low-cost platforms. A visit across Vashi, Nerul, CBD Belapur, Khandeshwar, and Ulwe found widespread frustration among airport-bound passengers over surge pricing by Uber and Ola, even during normal traffic hours.
Screenshots accessed by mid-day show that a 16-18 km ride to NMIA is being priced anywhere between R400 and R800, depending on the app, vehicle, location, and time of booking. Sachin Dahake, a Vashi resident, said, "After seeing the price of Uber from Sector-17 to NMIA, I cancelled the cab bookings and negotiated directly with auto drivers. The fare keeps changing every time you refresh.
Prices for an Uber ride from Andheri West and Mulund West to NMIA on Tuesday evening
There's no rain, no jam, but the price suddenly jumps." Kamothe resident Nirmala Arote experienced what many commuters now describe as a routine shock. She said, "While my local autowallahs agree to the drop at Rs 300, Uber was charging Rs 800," labelling the "exponentially high" Friday fares as unacceptable. The incident underscores a growing trend where passengers are abandoning traditional cab aggregators in favour of local transport and low-cost alternatives like Rapido, which continue to undercut surge-heavy platforms by nearly Rs 350 per trip. Uber fare last week was way higher than expected. It's a 17km ride lasting barely 20 minutes, which normally wouldn't cost more than Rs 400 on a heavy traffic day."
Similar complaints surfaced at Nerul and CBD Belapur. Ola fares from Vashi to NMIA ranged between R427 and R537, while Prime SUV options touched R685 for the same distance. From Khandeshwar railway station - a major feeder point for airport traffic - fares climbed to R625, despite similar travel time and traffic conditions.
At Ulwe, one of the closest residential pockets to the airport, proximity offered little relief. From housing societies such as Tejas Narmada Apartments, Uber Auto fares fluctuated between Rs 130 and Rs 180 within minutes, while those of Uber Go rose close to Rs 300. In contrast, Rapido bike taxis were available for under R100, and auto rides were nearly Rs 150 to Rs 200 cheaper than Uber and Ola.
The problem becomes starker for longer airport drops. International motor racer Rustom Patel, a resident of Byculla, said he was stunned by the fares quoted while returning from NMIA. "A private travel operator asked for Rs 3200 to ferry me from NMIA to Byculla, while Ola and Uber's prices were around R2200 in the afternoon. That's not surge pricing - that's daylight robbery," Patel said.
The site of the recently inaugurated Navi Mumbai International Airport. FILE PIC/ATUL KAMBLE
"People are abandoning these apps," said a Belapur-based consultant who travels weekly. "When Rapido undercuts Ola and Uber by R350 per trip, the decision is obvious." A transport analyst stated that affordable and predictable ground transport is crucial for an airport's success, saying, "If passengers associate NMIA with expensive and unreliable connectivity, it could affect public confidence."
A cab driver at Belapur railway station said, "Airport trips mean long waiting times and often no return passengers. Many drivers reject airport rides, so the app automatically increases the fare." Another driver blamed demand clustering. "When flights arrive or depart around the same time, demand spikes instantly. The algorithm reacts even if traffic is normal," he said.
On January 13, this reporter and others landed at NMIA from Bengaluru at 6 pm. With no mobile network available, we had to depend on the unreliable airport Wi-Fi, though staff were present to assist.
Charges for travelling to Vile Parle via app-based cabs were as high as R2000 to R2500. On exiting the airport, an auto driver offered to drop the writer to Khandeshwar railway station, where she could take a train terminating at Goregaon and get off at Vile Parle, for R200. Travelling by train involved a 17-minute auto ride to the station, and a 40-minute wait at the station for the delayed train.
These were the rates mentioned on cab aggregator apps when mid-day booked rides to and from the NMIA between 6 pm and 8 pm
Input by Phorum Pandya
