Amid ‘overcharging’ by cab aggregators, Bengaluru auto unions prepare to switch to alternative platforms
About 6,000 autorickshaw drivers in Bengaluru have registered with the Rook app, while the Namma Yatri app already sees about 500-1,000 rides every day, union representatives said.
Alleging low pay by app-based aggregators, autorickshaw drivers in Bengaluru mulling to join alternate platforms (Representational-Express File photo by
Tashi Tobgyal) Amid growing allegations of top cab aggregators in Bengaluru overcharging passengers and imposing inordinate charges on drivers, autorickshaw unions in the city are preparing to switch to alternative applications that offer rides through new aggregator platforms.
As part of the efforts, Peace Auto Union’s mobile application Rook will be launched on November 9, the birthday of the late Kannada actor Shankar Nag, which is observed as Autorickshaw Day by drivers in the state. Meanwhile, Autorickshaw Drivers’ Union, which unofficially rolled out the Namma Yatri app two weeks ago, already sees about 500-1,000 rides every day on the platform. Besides these two, Ola, Uber, Rapido and MYn are currently operational in Bengaluru.
The unions said the decision to come up with their own apps came in the wake of rampant complaints over prominent app-based aggregators deducting disproportionate amounts from drivers in the name of service tax and other charges.
Speaking to The Indian Express, Raghu Narayana Gowda, who represents Peace Auto Union, said that about 6,000 auto drivers in the city have registered with Rook. “We are not going to charge any service tax for the first couple of months, on a trial basis, to know the cost to run the application. We have also launched a customer service centre which employs family members of autorickshaw drivers,” he said.
Stating that prominent app-based aggregators deduct a huge amount of money from drivers, Gowda said, “Aggregators take Rs 300-400 from autorickshaw drivers per day. We plan to reduce it massively so that the driver also benefits.”
D Rudramurthy, general secretary of Autorickshaw Drivers Union which runs the Namma Yatri app, told The Indian Express that their platform will deduct a service tax of Rs 30-40 from drivers every day. “This application will have no middlemen and customers will have the option to select drivers of their choice. The application has been built based on the open-source protocol of Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC). We are going to target last-mile connectivity services to/from Metro stations up to a distance of two kilometres at a flat fare of Rs 40,” he added.
“While Ola, Uber and Rapido have a strong customer base, we will offer the service at a lower cost,” a representative of Namma Yatri said.
Promoted by film actor Upendra, MYn app too has been launched unofficially but is yet to pick up momentum, a source said.
Asked why autorickshaw unions differed over which application they would be a part of, Gowda said union representatives had a meeting recently but failed to reach an agreement to offer the services on a single platform. “We have been working on the application for about two years and we cannot withdraw it as drivers too had invested a good amount of money,” he revealed.
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