PTI

Mumbai: People in Mumbai can travel across the city in air-conditioned luxury, beating the sweltering summer heat, in a new private taxi fleet of Maruti Esteem and Indogi Marina beginning on 2 April.

Maharashtra Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh yesterday launched V Link Fleet Management Services, a private taxi service, which will ply 150 vehicles to begin with and will later increase to up to 1,000.

The taxis, which will operate from tomorrow, will charge a minimum of Rs 15 and additional Rs 13 per km with a centralised number for advance booking.

For the venture, the company has committed an investment of around Rs 500 crore by this year-end.

“To begin with, the company plans to have 250 drivers on its pay roll plus offer them commission,” V Link Group Managing Director Neeraj Gupta said.

“But once the business gets established, it will look at a revenue sharing model,” he said.

Launching the service Deshmukh said Mumbai is fast becoming an international hub and to cater to the people this air-conditioned taxi service would be helpful.