The wedding season and the Gujarat assembly elections have come together to put luxury taxi owners in the city in a fix. The demand for such cars reaches its peak during the wedding season and given the election, the government will also be seeking SUVs and other vehicles for poll duty. This has got travel and tour companies in Ahmedabad worried about the demand-supply gap for such vehicles.
In Gujarat, the wedding season begins from December 20 which also coincides with the time when a lot of NRIs visit home driving up the demand for SUVs and other vehicles. Taxi owners say government agencies have already informed them of the requirements and the payment terms. The state also held a meeting with the taxi car owners’ association and other private players.
During the meeting, the government agencies also warned the association that there could be last-minute demand for cars from November 30 to December 6. If the last-minute demand materialises, the tour and travel companies will have to fulfill them. This means they will have to arrange alternate vehicles for clients who may have booked the vehicles for weddings, events, or leisure travel. As per data, Ahmedabad has around 10,000 luxury and big cars and over 7000 school vans.
This doesn’t include taxis run by radio cab chains like Ola and Uber as they have a separate association of theirs. President of Luxury Car Owners Association, Chandresh Patel said prima facie the government has planned its requirement well for the elections but the clause that allows them to make last-minute demands for vehicles can create inconvenience for us and our customers.
Patel said the period from November 30 to December 6 will see the maximum demand from government agencies. “If we have to make last-minute arrangements for clients who have already booked with us we may end up annoying them and risk losing business,” said Patel. Kirit Patel, owner of Gurukrupa Travels in Ahmedabad said his company has 13 cars including Innova Crysta and sedans.
“Government usually demands bigger four-wheelers like Crysta, Innova and others. We don’t mind cooperating with the government as they pay decently but their usage is a question,” said Patel. “If we don’t have enough vehicles we may have to arrange some from neighboring states like Rajasthan,” said Petel. Several others are thinking of hiring vehicles from Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh or from Surat and Dahod to ensure they don’t let down their clients.
Sources said that the Ahmedabad RTO has also asked school vans associations to be prepared to hand over their vehicles between December 1 and 6. Dharmendra Brahmbhatt, President of Ahmedabad School Verdi Association said 10 days ago the Ahmedabad RTO informed them that vans and Eco cars will be needed for poll duty. “We are all for cooperating but we hope the usage is not very high as it will add to the wear and tear,” said Brahmbhatt.
If we have to make last-minute arrangements for clients who have already booked with us we may end up annoying them and risklosing business
– Chandresh Patel, president, luxury car owners association
