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It’s interesting to note that BluSmart and Refex are connected. Refex Green Mobility had earlier this year announced a Rs 315 crore deal to buy 2,997 electric cars from Gensol Engineering.
Many users who had their money in their BluSmart wallets also questioned the status of their refunds. (Photo: blu-smart.com)
Bengaluru’s Kempegowda International Airport (KIA) is experiencing a scarcity of Ola and Uber taxis, but now passengers are dealing with a double whammy as two electric cab companies, BluSmart and Refex eVeelz, have shut down.
A ride-hailing company, BluSmart, associated with Gensol Engineering, has abruptly ceased taking new bookings in Bengaluru, Mumbai and Delhi-NCR. Following a Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) investigation into Gensol Engineering, BluSmart’s viability was seriously questioned.
In the meantime, Refex Green Mobility Ltd (RGML), a division of Refex Industries, has acknowledged that it is simplifying its business practices in Bengaluru by gradually discontinuing its electric vehicle (EV) taxi services that are operated at the airport. Refex EV Fleet Services was used to run these services. “The move aims to focus on scaling electric mobility solutions for enterprise and institutional clients through long-term partnerships and stable demand,” Moneycontrol quoted the company as saying.
It’s interesting to note that BluSmart and Refex are connected. Refex Green Mobility had earlier this year announced a Rs 315 crore deal to buy 2,997 electric cars from Gensol Engineering, which BluSmart will then lease. Refex later withdrew the plan, though, stating that both parties had made “evolving commitments” reported the portal.
In the most recent fiscal year, Kempegowda International Airport handled 41.88 million passengers, an increase of 11.6 per cent over the 37.53 million that were handled the year before, the publication added. Despite this expansion, there are still issues with airport taxi availability, as many people complain about lengthy wait times and insufficient fleets at the designated Ola-Uber pick-up locations.
The report quoted sources as saying that the exit of BluSmart and Refex will probably make the scarcity worse. As per a different source, Refex, which had an entirely electric fleet, was mostly connected to airport taxis that ran via Bangalore International Airport Ltd (BIAL) official ‘BLR Pulse’ smartphone application.
After Ola and Uber, BluSmart Mobility opened a special taxi pickup zone at Bengaluru airport in March 2023. There is no specific airport pickup area for other aggregators like Rapido, Namma Yatri, QuickRide and Shoffr. Nonetheless, passengers may be picked up in front of the terminals by specialised airport taxi services like Refex and KSTDC.
But according to a BIAL official, passengers can still reportedly book rides via Ola, Uber, the Karnataka State Tourism Development Corporation (KSTDC), WTi taxis, BMTC’s Vayu Vajra and KSRTC’s intercity Flybus services.
