HeliTaxi Shuttle Service Opens in Bengaluru. 5 Things To Know

A helicopter shuttle service (HeliTaxi) was opened in Bengaluru on Monday for the public between the Bengaluru airport and the city.

It is operated by Thumby Aviation with a Bell 407 helicopter and a capacity of six passengers, according to a report of IANS.

A commuter can opt for the helicopter shuttle service between BIAL and Electronic City in the south (about 70 km from the airport), which is home to hundreds of technology firms including, Infosys and other multinationals, or Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) Airport in the city centre, said IANS.

The decision to launch the helicopter shuttle service was announced in August 2017 by Union Minister of State for Civil Aviation Jayant Sinha.

5 things to know about HeliTaxi:

1.    According to IANS, the fare for each passenger in the seven-seater (six passengers and a pilot) HeliTaxi is pegged at Rs. 3,500 with additional taxes.

2.    HeliTaxi is currently operating the service from 6.30 a.m. to 9.30 a.m. and 3.15 p.m. to 6 p.m. between the airport and the city through a helicopter that can seat six passengers, reported IANS.

3.    The HeliTaxi is expected to make one to-and-fro trip per hour between the helipad at BIAL and Electronic City or HAL Airport, said IANS.

4.    Currently, the chopper service provider has employed only one helicopter to ferry the air passengers and will increase the number depending on the demand.

5.    The chopper service fare is comparable to a 5-7 seater luxury cab fare, which costs about Rs. 3,000-4,000 from the city’s far end to the airport, IANS further added.