Auto union launches ‘Namma Yatri’ app to counter Ola, Uber
The development comes after Uber India said that it was considering limiting the auto services in some parts of Bengaluru due to the Karnataka high court’s decision to cap commissions at 10%.
Amid the ongoing tussle between the transport department and taxi aggregators, an autorickshaw union in Bengaluru on Tuesday launched a new ride-hailing mobile app called ‘Namma Yatri’ that connects customers directly to auto drivers without an intermediary.
The development comes after Uber India said that it was considering limiting the auto services in some parts of Bengaluru due to the Karnataka high court’s decision to cap commissions at 10%. The Namma Yatri app aims to tap into the market with affordable fares for customers by removing the middlemen, said a person in the know of the development.
General secretary of Auto Rickshaw Drivers’ Union of Bengaluru TM Rudramurthy said: “Namma Yatri will be an alternative to the other aggregator apps that were in the middle of a controversy for fleecing customers”.
“Many auto drivers are already quitting Uber, Ola and joining our app to eliminate the middlemen and earn more commission. Uber’s decision to restrict services will definitely benefit us,” he said.
Cab aggregators Ola, Uber and Rapido have come under government scanner for charging upwards of ₹100 per trip, even for trips shorter than 2 km.
Earlier, the transport department had pulled up the aggregators for offering auto rickshaw rides without licence and issued a notice that autorickshaws should charge a minimum price of ₹30 for the first two kilometres and ₹15 for every subsequent kilometre.
While the beta version of the Namma Yatri app was launched on October 20, the union officially launched it on the occasion of Kannada Rajyotsava on November 1.
“We don’t want any middlemen. We want to provide a good service to the customers . We want them to avail our services with trust and this is how we can also benefit from the initiative,” Rudramurthy said.
The app has nearly 16,000 registered autorickshaw drivers and 20,000 passengers have downloaded the app since its inception.
“During the initial phase, 100-150 bookings were seen on a daily basis. On November 1, the app had around 500 bookings,” Rudramurthy said.
The fares are based on the price list fixed by the government. For each trip, there will be a booking charge of ₹10. The drivers also have an option of increasing it up to ₹30.
Unlike the other apps, the customers have an option to choose from multiple drivers. Customers will see a list of drivers who are willing to take the trip and will have the freedom to choose among the drivers based on the lowest price quotation, arrival time and rating on the app, Rudramurthy said.
The payments will be in cash after the completion of the trip and there will be no cancellation fees. The app also has metro feeders, to provide last-mile connectivity service to and from metro stations up to 2 km distance at a flat fare of ₹40.
The app was developed with the help of payment gateway Juspay Technologies Pvt Ltd under the Union government’s Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC).
“Since the past seven to eight years, companies like Ola and Uber have been charging exorbitant fees to the customers. The government itself should have taken action or come up with an initiative like ours,” Rudramurthy said.
“The middlemen are the ones causing problems. If it wasn’t for them, the drivers and the customers would have been happy with the services,” he added.
Rudramurthy said that although Namma Yatri doesn’t have a license from the transport department like other cab aggregators, they don’t need a license since there is no commission. “If the passengers provide any extra free, the entire amount goes to the drivers. We are not aggregators. The transport authorities also said that we can’t avail any license and if there is any complaint from the passengers, they would look into it,” he said.