By the Sevetu team
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Short answer
It depends on how much you drive. We costed three kinds of month in Bengaluru at Karnataka's notified cab fare1 and Sevetu's Bengaluru driver pay2. For one commute a day, a cab costs ₹16,817 a month, and a part-time driver with fuel costs ₹14,876 to ₹22,876. For heavy use, a full-time driver with fuel costs ₹35,367 to ₹50,367, against ₹53,290 by cab. The car's own costs come on top of the driver option.
How we worked it out
Cabs. Karnataka notified uniform fares for app-based and other city taxis in February 2024: for a car under ₹10 lakh, ₹100 for the first 4 km and ₹24 a kilometre after that, plus 5% GST and tolls13. A 15 km trip comes to ₹382.20 with GST. We didn't add waiting time, tolls or the night extra.
One caution: when these fares came in, it wasn't clear that Uber, Ola and Rapido were following them4. Check a week of your own cab receipts and use those numbers instead of ours.
A driver. Sevetu's Bengaluru guide puts a part-time or school-run driver at ₹10,000 to ₹18,000 a month and a full-time driver at ₹20,000 to ₹35,0002. Fuel at Bengaluru's petrol price of ₹110.82 a litre5, and a car doing 15 km a litre.
What we left out. Your car's insurance, servicing, parking, tyres and any loan. If you already own the car and will keep it anyway, that's fair. If you'd sell it and use cabs, add those costs to the driver column.
When a driver is worth it, even at the same price
- Waiting. A doctor's visit, a school pickup, three shops. A driver waits; a cab meter or a new booking doesn't.
- Children and parents. The same known person, every day, who knows the route and the people.
- Peak hours. Cancellations and long waits at 9 am cost time, not just money.
- Your car, your rules. Clean, the right seat for the child, no surprise route.
When cabs win
- Your driving looks like our commute example, or lighter.
- Parking at both ends is a problem.
- You'd sell the car.
- Your days change too much for fixed hours.
For a few days a month in your own car, a driver app is a third option. Hiring a driver for one day →
If you choose a driver
Post the job on Sevetu with the car, hours and salary: ID-verified drivers near you apply, and posting and hiring are free. Then check the licence, run a paid trial on your real route and put the terms in writing. What to pay a driver in 2027 → · How to check a driver →
Read next: family driver job vs Uber, for drivers · outstation driver charges, food and stay
Questions people ask
For one commute a day, they come out about the same in our Bengaluru example. For many trips a day, a driver costs less. Your car's own costs are extra on the driver side.
Karnataka's notified fare for a cab under ₹10 lakh is ₹100 for the first 4 km and ₹24 a km after, plus 5% GST and tolls. App fares may differ.
Sevetu's Bengaluru guide puts a part-time driver at ₹10,000 to ₹18,000 a month and a full-time driver at ₹20,000 to ₹35,000.
If your driving is close to one commute a day and parking is a struggle, cabs often make sense. Add up a month of real cab receipts against your car's full costs before you decide.
Sources
- The Week, Karnataka govt fixes uniform charges for Ola, Uber, city taxis, 4 February 2024: vehicles costing ₹10 lakh to ₹15 lakh, minimum fare ₹115 and ₹28 per km; above ₹15 lakh, ₹130 and ₹32 per km. Star of Mysore, Uniform fare for taxi services: under ₹10 lakh, minimum ₹100 for up to 4 km and ₹24 per additional km. theweek.in · starofmysore.com
- Sevetu, Maid salary in Bangalore 2026: full pay guide, driver section, read 12 November 2026: part-time or school run ₹10,000 to ₹18,000; full-time ₹20,000 to ₹35,000. sevetu.com/bangalore/cost/
- Siasat (PTI), Uber, Ola to fall in line as Karnataka govt fixes uniform fare: aggregators can collect 5% GST and tolls; up to 10% extra from 12 am to 6 am; first five minutes of waiting free, then ₹1 a minute. siasat.com
- Deccan Herald, Karnataka: new cab fares kick in but govt unlikely to act against violators, read 12 November 2026: "it is unclear if ride aggregators like Uber, Ola and Rapido are following them". deccanherald.com
- The Hans India, Petrol and diesel prices today, 6 November 2026: "Petrol prices today in Bangalore are at Rs. 110.82 per litre". thehansindia.com
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Written by the Sevetu teamSevetu is a hiring marketplace for household work in India, operated by Fiel Private Limited. These guides come from the questions families and workers ask us. Nothing here is sponsored, and where a number has no defensible source we say so instead of inventing one. About Sevetu
