Until NTL came to Chennai a few years ago, cab companies would fleece customers for every rupee. A direct consequence of NTL’s arrival is the reduction in the number of black Ambassador taxis that are notorious for swindling people at the Chennai airport. Cost-wise, pre-paid taxis like Aviation Express charge Rs.1000 for a distance of about 15 km as against NTL’s Rs.350.
Until last year, they were clearly Chennai’s best, but now they have competition from Meru which operates in six other cities. But NTL is better because of their variety and availability of vehicles, superior customer service and slightly cheaper fares.
Variety helps when you’re traveling in a smaller or larger-than-normal group or have little or lots of luggage. You can use an Indica or Verito or Innova according to the situation as opposed to Meru’s only Verito. Rates differ according to the vehicle and so your ride would be cheaper if you use an Indica or more comfortable if you use an Innova.
Availability is not a problem with NTL. I’ve used them several times, booked at short notice sometimes and a day in advance sometimes. They have never been late and have never cancelled. In this regard, Meru is often unavailable and once has even cancelled my booking. This is a problem they suffer from even in other cities.
Customer service is another distinguishing aspect of NTL. The only time I had a problem with NTL is when a cab driver asked me to tip him. While I normally tip the driver, I don’t like it when they ask for it. I complained about this to NTL and they promptly sent me a well-written e-mail of apology. Meru customer-service executives are usually courteous but sometimes talk down to the customer and don’t use common sense. For example, when I once booked in advance one of their taxis from the airport to my home, they said that if I don’t come within ten minutes of the booking time, it would be cancelled. Anybody who has ever been on a plane knows that it sometimes arrives a few minutes late and that one can be delayed while waiting for luggage to arrive. It’s understandable for the taxi to leave if the delay is long, but they should stretch the waiting time to thirty minutes if it is an airport pickup. I haven’t had this problem with NTL.
Cost-wise, Meru is currently about the same. However, they have a convenience fee in other cities(Rs.25 for an immediate booking and Rs.50 for advance booking). If this is introduced in Chennai, they will be at a disadvantage in this department too. For this and for the reason mentioned in the paragraph about variety, NTL is more economical.