On the heels of Namma Yatri’s success in Bengaluru, another transport union in the city has launched a mobile application to offer an alternative to market giants like Uber, Ola and Rapido. 'Nagara Metered Auto', a ride-hailing service by the Karnataka Rajya Chalakara Parishath (Karnataka State Drivers’ Council) and Agnibhu Technologies, would be available from June 10. The application will follow a zero-commission model and would not have surge prices, similar to Namma Yatri which is a part of the Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC).
A report from Moneycontrol states that the application is backed by the auto rickshaw drivers union and will allow passengers to hail rides from the streets, through a WhatsApp chatbot, and the website apart from the mobile application. Passengers can book rides similar to how it is done on other applications but pay a fixed rate of Rs 30 for the first two km and Rs 15 for every km after it directly to the drivers.
According to the Karnataka Rajya Chalakara Parishath, the auto rickshaw drivers would have to pay a subscription amount for registration and only vehicles with calibrated meters certified by the state Legal Metrology Department will be allowed. K Somasekhar, the union’s president, said they plan to enroll at least 1,000 drivers in the first phase.
Each driver would also get a unique QR code and a designated webpage, which can be used for street hailing. The driver will receive pick-up and destination details and the passenger has to share an OTP with the driver to begin the trip. The application will be fully-functional by July.