Taxi service in Kolkata

Taxi service in Kolkata: fares for 2026

Kolkata moves at its own pace. Yellow Ambassadors still rattle past Esplanade, trams ring their bells in the north, and the stretch from Howrah Bridge to Park Street can take longer than you expect when office traffic spills out. For visitors and residents who want something more predictable, our taxi service in Kolkata offers a pre-booked car with an experienced chauffeur, a clean air-conditioned cabin and a fare you see before you pay. It covers airport runs at Dum Dum, hourly hire for errands and sightseeing, puja-night tours and weekend drives into rural Bengal.

Kolkata's local and airport fares carry a 0.95 city multiplier, a little below the national card, while outstation per-km rates stay the same across India.

These rupee fares are quoted before 5% GST. Vidyasagar Setu and highway tolls, parking at hotels and monuments, and any state permit when you cross into Odisha or Jharkhand are passed on at the receipt value. Out-of-town round trips are billed on at least 250 km per calendar day, and nights away add a driver allowance of Rs 1,500 each.

Book a Kolkata taxi

Kolkata airport cabs from Dum Dum

Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport sits in the north-east of the city at Dum Dum, with a single integrated terminal for domestic and international flights. Airline and terminal information is on the Airports Authority of India page for Kolkata. The airport is close to the new townships of New Town and Rajarhat, while south Kolkata is a longer run down VIP Road and the EM Bypass.

Every arrival is tracked. The chauffeur waits inside the arrivals area with a name board, and the first hour after an international landing is free, as are the first 30 minutes after a domestic one; if you need longer, waiting is charged at the hourly rate. Early-morning flights to Bagdogra, Delhi and Bangkok mean many of our pickups begin before 5 am, and the drivers are used to it.

Places beyond 40 km, such as Kalyani, Chandannagar or Bajbaj, are priced on distance in the booker. Our national airport taxi page explains meet-and-greet rules in more detail.

Durga Puja pandal hopping by car

For five days in autumn, usually late September or October, Kolkata turns into a vast open-air gallery; UNESCO added Durga Puja in Kolkata to its intangible heritage list in 2021. Hundreds of pandals, some with themes that took months to build, draw crowds through the night from Shashthi to Dashami. A car and driver is the most comfortable way to see a good spread of them, and it is by far our busiest week of the year in the city.

A typical puja night plan in an 8 hr/80 km car (Rs 6,840 Pay Now to Reserve in a sedan) might include:

• North Kolkata: Kumartuli, where the idols are sculpted, and the traditional pujas of Bagbazar and Sovabazar Rajbari.
• Central: College Square and Mohammad Ali Park, famous for their lighting.
• South Kolkata: Ekdalia Evergreen, Singhi Park, Suruchi Sangha, Chetla Agrani and Mudiali, where themed pandals draw the longest queues.

Traffic police close many roads to vehicles near the big pandals after dark, so the chauffeur drops you at the nearest open point and waits. Start around 6 pm or after midnight to avoid the worst of the crowds, wear comfortable shoes, and book your puja car at least three weeks ahead, as we reach capacity early. Kali Puja and Diwali follow a few weeks later, and Jagaddhatri Puja in Chandannagar in November is an easy evening trip from the city.

Local hire in Kolkata: heritage day and errands

Outside the puja season, the half-day and full-day packages cover almost every local need. The 4 hr/40 km slot (Rs 4,110 Pay Now to Reserve in a sedan) fits a hospital appointment in Mukundapur or EM Bypass, a New Market shopping trip, or a visa interview followed by lunch on Park Street. The 8 hr/80 km day (Rs 6,840 Pay Now to Reserve) makes a proper heritage tour:

1. Victoria Memorial and its gardens as they open.
2. St Paul's Cathedral and a drive along the Maidan.
3. The Indian Museum on Chowringhee.
4. Lunch at a Park Street or Esplanade institution.
5. Howrah Bridge, the flower market at Mullick Ghat and a ferry across the Hooghly if you like.
6. Dakshineswar Kali Temple and Belur Math in the late afternoon.

The Incredible India portal has background on the city's museums and heritage sites. For longer stays, the car rental with driver in Kolkata page explains weekly and monthly options, and our local car rental 8hr/80km page lays out the package rules for every city.

Weekend drives and outstation taxis from Kolkata

From Kolkata the roads run south to the sea, north into rural Bengal and west towards Jharkhand. Per-km rates are fixed nationally: Rs 36 for a sedan, Rs 42 for an Ertiga, Rs 57.6 for an Innova Crysta and Rs 78 for a Tempo Traveller.

All figures are before GST, tolls and parking, and two-day trips add one driver night allowance. The Sundarbans trip continues by boat from the jetty, so most people book a one way drop and a separate return. Gangasagar pilgrims can be dropped at the Lot 8 ferry point for the crossing to Sagar Island, a trip that peaks around Makar Sankranti in January. Longer journeys to Puri, Ranchi or Siliguri are quoted in the booker. See outstation cabs and one way taxi for how billing works, and pilgrimage taxi for temple circuits.

Areas we cover in Kolkata and Howrah

We pick up everywhere in the city and its twin: north Kolkata (Shyambazar, Baranagar, Dum Dum), central Kolkata (Esplanade, Park Street, Camac Street, Burrabazar), south Kolkata (Ballygunge, Gariahat, Tollygunge, Jadavpur, Behala, Garia), the planned townships of Salt Lake and New Town, and Howrah, Santragachi and Shibpur across the river. Station pickups at Howrah, Sealdah, Kolkata (Chitpur) and Santragachi are routine; share your train and coach number so the chauffeur meets you at the right gate.

Some practical notes: central Kolkata has many one-way streets that switch direction by time of day, and parking around New Market and Burrabazar is very limited, so the driver may circle while you shop. During the monsoon from June to September, heavy rain waterlogs low roads in central and north Kolkata; we plan airport runs with extra time on those days.

Winter is Kolkata's favourite season and its busiest for visitors. From mid-December Park Street is strung with lights for Christmas and New Year, and the crowds make evening drop-offs slow, so plan to walk the last stretch. The Kolkata International Book Fair in Salt Lake draws huge weekend footfall in late January and early February, while weddings fill community halls and hotels from November to February. Business travel follows the office calendar of Salt Lake Sector V and New Town, where IT campuses start early and weekday peaks run roughly 9-11 am and 6-8.30 pm on the EM Bypass and VIP Road. If you have a morning flight on a weekday, leaving south Kolkata before 7 am saves a great deal of time.

Group travel, weddings and premium cars

Bengali weddings, with their evening ceremonies and large guest lists, need reliable transport for relatives and guests between home, the venue and hotels. A Tempo Traveller seats 12 to 26 for Rs 18,540 a day in the city; details are on tempo traveller in Kolkata. For the bride and groom, decorated sedans and luxury cars are arranged through our wedding car rental service, and executive cars such as the Mercedes E-Class and BMW 5 Series through luxury car rental. Families of six usually pick an Innova Crysta on rent. Every vehicle is no more than four model years old, with the single exception of Rolls-Royce, Bentley and Maybach, which may be up to seven.

Kolkata hire packages: 4, 8 or 12 hours

Kolkata's long days, especially in the festival months, often need more than eight hours of car time. A 12 hr/120 km package suits a puja night that begins at dusk and ends after 2 am, a wedding where the bor jatri leaves in the afternoon and returns long after dinner, or a business visitor who lands at Dum Dum in the morning and dines on Park Street at night. Its price is one and a half times the Kolkata 8 hour fare plus 40 km at the car's per-km rate, rounded to Rs 30. Fares include the 0.95 Kolkata multiplier and were updated in September 2026.

In the city, time usually runs out before kilometres. A pandal-hopping night covering north and south Kolkata can still stay under 60 km, while a day that crosses from Howrah to New Town and back reaches 80 km sooner. Hours or kilometres over the package are billed at the rates the booker shows before you confirm.

Per km taxi fares from Kolkata, with two real trips

All outstation journeys are charged per kilometre at national rates. The table applies them to two Kolkata trips: a 160 km one way drop to Shantiniketan, and the 590 km one way run north to Siliguri, the gateway to Darjeeling and Sikkim.

The Siliguri drive is long, typically 11 to 13 hours on NH 12, so many families split it with a night in Malda or take a train and book the hills from Siliguri instead. Every figure is before 5% GST, tolls and permits. Groups of ten or more planning a coastal or pilgrimage trip can compare Urbania on rent, and every class is described on the fleet page.

More one way cabs from Kolkata

In addition to the weekend trips listed earlier, these are the drops Kolkata customers request. Distances are approximate door-to-door figures.

Journeys into Odisha or Jharkhand add a state permit at cost. The complete list of published city pairs is on the routes hub, and the travel desk can plan a Bengal heritage loop through Bishnupur, Shantiniketan and Murshidabad.

Airport and railway station transfers in Kolkata

Kolkata is a railway city first, and many visitors arrive at Howrah or Sealdah rather than the airport. For flights, an airport transfer at Rs 3,750 Pay Now to Reserve in a sedan within 40 km works best. For trains, book a 4 hr/40 km package at Rs 4,110 Pay Now to Reserve, which covers a delayed arrival and your drive across the city without a separate waiting charge.

Howrah is among India's oldest and busiest stations, with separate old and new complexes; the layout is described on Howrah railway station. Share your train and coach so the chauffeur waits at the right complex. If you want to combine a car with the metro, stations of the Kolkata Metro, including the under-river link to Howrah, make easy meeting points.

Kolkata localities we serve

That is well over forty named localities, all at the same Kolkata fares.

Chauffeur car, app cab or yellow taxi in Kolkata?

The city offers yellow metered taxis, app cabs, the metro, trams on a few surviving routes and ferries on the Hooghly. A pre-booked chauffeur is one more option, suited to particular trips.

This is about fitting the service to the trip. For regular weekday use over a month, compare monthly car rental with driver; visitors from abroad can read NRI car hire in India; and our national taxi service page lists every other city.

A north Kolkata heritage day by car

The old northern neighbourhoods hold some of the city's richest history, and they are hard to explore on foot alone because the sights are spread out. An 8 hour sedan at Rs 6,840 Pay Now to Reserve makes a comfortable heritage day. Start at the Marble Palace, a nineteenth-century mansion full of statues and paintings (entry rules change, so check before you go). Continue to Jorasanko Thakur Bari, Rabindranath Tagore's family home and now a museum, then to the clay-idol workshops of Kumartuli on the riverbank, busiest in the weeks before Durga Puja. After a lunch of kochuri and sweets at one of the old shops of Shyambazar or College Street, browse the book stalls around College Square and the Indian Coffee House. End at the Bagbazar ghat for sunset over the Hooghly. The chauffeur drops you at each lane mouth and waits nearby, since many of these streets are too narrow for cars to park. The Victoria Memorial and the Maidan make a good contrast the next day.

Planning a Sundarbans or Gangasagar trip from Kolkata

Two of Bengal's most popular journeys start by road and finish by water, which changes how you book the car. For the Sundarbans, the drive to the Godkhali or Sonakhali jetty takes about three hours from south Kolkata, after which licensed boats and forest permits take over for one to three days. Most visitors book a one way drop to the jetty (about 100 km, billed at the minimum fare: Rs 3,750 Pay Now to Reserve in a sedan or Rs 6,570 Pay Now to Reserve in an Innova Crysta) and a separate pickup on the day they return, rather than paying for the car to wait unused. Tell us your tour operator's boat timing so the chauffeur reaches the jetty with a margin. Carry mosquito repellent, a hat and cash, since card machines are rare once you leave the mainland.

For Gangasagar, the car goes as far as the Lot 8 ferry ghat at Harwood Point, where vessels cross the Muriganga to Sagar Island; on the island, local transport runs to the temple. Around Makar Sankranti in mid-January, when the Gangasagar Mela draws huge crowds, traffic controls on Diamond Harbour Road and at the ferry point are strict, and journey times can double. Book early, leave before dawn and carry water, a torch and warm clothing for the crossing. Outside the mela, a same-day trip is comfortable, and a round trip within the 250 km daily minimum costs Rs 9,000 Pay Now to Reserve in a sedan, before GST and tolls.

How booking works in Kolkata

Book in the online booker: choose airport, local or outstation, enter your addresses and time, check the fare and pay by card or UPI. Driver name and car number come on WhatsApp before pickup, and you receive a GST invoice after the trip, useful for company claims or monthly billing through corporate car rental.

The fare includes the car, chauffeur, fuel and package kilometres, and excludes GST, tolls, permits, parking and night allowance. There is no charge if you cancel more than 72 hours ahead; after that it is 10% of the fare inside 72 hours, 50% inside 48 hours and the full fare inside 24 hours or on a no-show. The cancellation policy has the complete wording.