Hyderabad airport: prepaid (not radio) taxis?

Many Thanks for your kind reply, you have cleared my most of the doubts and it was act of intellegence to book a CAB with your fellow travellers which save time as well.

I am leaving alone for Hyderabad so would try to check with Aeroexpress and while returning i would be accompained with my Family.

Your reply also has raised few queries as below mentioned:

You mean that there are lots of distance from where the Aeroexpress start/last stop to the Airport gate ?

Do we need to book CAB in advance or you get after randomly checking with the cabs running in front of you ? (in case Aeroexpress fails to make on scheduled time)

Last query for now..
Do we have A/C & Non A/C cabs available at the airport Pre-paid taxi booth ?

If yes, It would be great...if not, I would be googling for the Non A/c cabs for Airport...Kindly suggest if you have any prior experience with any of the service provider.

Have a great day ahead.

Regards,
Ankit

The arrival is on 1st floor while Aero Express halt is on Ground Floor. You come out of the arrival terminal into the portico, take either an elevator or an escalator, both on your right, to go down. It is the same for taking an officially approved radio cab also. In case you book with Dot Cabs or Orange Cabs or Cel Cabs or such, you will need to call them after arrival to tell them that you are ready at the arrival portico and then they will pick you up from the arrival portico (of course, you should have booked them in advance). The prepaid cab (non A/C) have a man standing at the arrival portico who guides you where ever they are parked (I do not have any idea where they park the cabs). If you want to take an auto or local bus, you need to take the complimentary airport shuttle volvo which takes you to the auto stand / local bus stand which is a km away.

Meru / Easy / Sky Cabs are authorised and standing next to Aero Express and you need to sit in the first one in the queue. No advance booking needed. However, if you want to take Dot / Cel / Orange Cabs, you need to book with them in advance.

Beware of touts and do not risk taking an un-authorised cab or travel with some driver who may have dropped his sahib and is going back empty. Though no untoward cases have been heard of like in Delhi or Mumbai and I also see single females taking lifts, why do you want to risk and become the first case or a statistic in the crime record.

There is NO prepaid booth at the airport for any type of metered cabs but is there for prepaid point to point service.

Prepaid is more or less as expensive as A/C radio cab while touts will fleece you. Since you are not aware of Hyderabad (obvious due to your queries), you are an easy prey for touts so stick to the Aero Express or a Radio Cab. After all, you have spent upwards of 4K on air travel so a few hundreds should not be a consideration.

Lastly, even in the city, unless you are at the Aero Express Halt at Hi-Tec City, finding A/C Radio cabs on the road is rare and you need to call their tele-centre.

Again you earned a big thanks from my side. you have cleared any possiblity of queries also with this detailed help.
Thanks alot

Yes..I am new in Hyderabad and going back to delhi for a New Year get together .

Regards...

So I have done with my trip now....

I tried Aeroexpress while going to Airport(as I was almost empty handed). Points to be noted...you have to catch the AeroExpress only from the Starting point mentioned on the website itself and they are punctual about the time. You need to buy the ticket from the location.
You won't be able to catch the Aeroexpress from any other point except starting point as it do not have halt anywhere.
It is so on time that i reached bit early from my expectations and my dear flight was 5 hours delay only .

Fare calculation is very simple which is one side 180/- and To and Fro is 300/-(valid for 10 days).

While returning i take the Radio taxi (Meru), which was comfortable enough and available at the ground floor of the Airport. Fare is again a simple equation of 30/- for first 2 km and then 15/- per km.

Thanks to all IMers who helped me with this.

Regards,
Ankit

FYI - Meru fares have changed - for HYD too.
Now it is 40 rs for 2 km & 18 rs/km after that. night 25% extra.
Plus there is a 'convenience charge' of 25 or 50 rs for phone booking

Hi everyone,
Advice needed regarding transportation between Hyderabad airport and hotel in town. My flight from Singapore is scheduled to arrive at 00.40hrs (40mins past midnight) in the first week of Febrauary 2013.
What would be the safest mode of transportation to a hotel in Hyderabad town at that hour (sometime past 1am)?
What would the approximate cost be (in Indian Rupees)?
What would be the next cheaper option and how much approximately?
Are there any safety issues that I need to be mindful of?
I'm male, 60 years and travelling alone.
Many thanks for anyinformation provided.

safest option, though pricey, would be to ask the hotel to send someone to pick you up. if you are a first time visitor, this option gives you the peace of mind of having someone waiting with your name on a placard ready to take you exactly where you need to go. cost may vary based on car & hotel, but expect this to be > 1000 rs.
otherwise radio cabs (like meru) would charge 24 rs/km at night on the meter - your distance would be approx 30km. this works well if you know the route or hotel is a prominent one in that area. there might be some addl charge for airport parking.
if you can wait till 3:30 or 4:00 am, you can avail the airport express buses that charge 100-200 rs to certain major destinations. check this for details: http://www.hyderabad.aero/to-from-airport.aspx. however, the last mile would need to be done in an auto at that time of night/morning...

don't show too much cash in public. use an ATM at airport to get INR well before taking the cab. inform the hotel once you have boarded the cab. all the best!

Shall heed your advice. Will check with a couple of budget hotels about the cost of pick-up at the airport at 01.00hrs. Many thanks Paramiyer.

Wonder if anyone can clarify: Why do some hotels' websites show two rates, one in Indian Rupees (INR2700) and another in US$ (US$72) for the same room (standard)? Is the Indian Rupee rate valid for Indians only and foreigners pay in inflated US Dollar rate? Thought this went out the window when the black market was scrapped with the exit of fixed exchange rate and ease of obtaining foreign currency.

The hotel I am referring to is Baseera which can be reached at http://www.baseraa.com/index.html

as far as i undertood:
as long as you are paying in INR, the hotels don't care. if you present USD, they would accept it at the unfavorable rates (you would see these rates quoted at the reception - which would match the ridiculous conversion rate you note).

Thanks once again Paramiyer. Unfortunately the trip has been called off, but your advice has been noted and will be put to use when I make it to Hyderabad.