Bengaluru Auto Unions to launch its own mobile apps for ride sharing
Bangalore’s Autorickshaw Drivers Union (ARDU) is to launch its own smartphone app, “Namma Yatri”, on Nov. 1 after the Karnataka government orders taxi aggregators like Ola, Uber and Rapido to halt auto services .
ARDU, with the help of the Beckn Foundation, backed by Infosys co-founder, Nandan Nilekani, will showcase the application based on the open mobility network, The Times of India reported.
In Bengaluru, the minimum auto fare is Rs 30 for the first 2 kilometers and Rs 15 for each additional kilometer, currently. Several passengers have complained that app-based taxi aggregators charge a minimum of Rs 100 for car rides.
Meanwhile, the Namma Yatri app claims to charge a flat rate of Rs 40 for a 2 km radius between metro stations and residence/office and will also levy an additional charge of Rs 10 as a pick up fee.
Following numerous passenger complaints and protests over exorbitant fees from app-based taxi aggregators on October 6, Transport Commissioner THM Kumar ordered Ola, Uber and Rapido to stop providing car services in Karnataka in the next three days.
On October 6, the Karnataka Department of Transport alluded to complaints about app-based taxi aggregators charging a minimum of Rs 100 for car rides and called it an “illegal practice” in a notice to Uber, ANI Technologies, which operates Ola and Rapido. Aggregators have also been tasked with producing a compliance report. However, Ola, Uber and Rapido continued to offer car services at exorbitant rates despite advance notice.
Taxi aggregators had been given until Tuesday to stop providing car services, Hemanth Kumar, additional transport commissioner and secretary of the State Transport Authority, told TOI L. He added that further steps will be taken after consultation with government legal advisers. Meanwhile, the case brought by the aggregators is still pending in the Karnataka High Court.
In response to complaints from the public about overcharging, transport authorities filed around 292 complaints against transport apps last month.
