It’s easy to identify the war between 20th century taxi operators and 21st century ride hailing services in any major city around the world. And Mumbai is no exception. The city’s taximen have been crying foul about online cab aggregators eating up their business for more than six years now. In fact, a few joined their foes by signing up as driver partners on the Ola platform.
But, this war might soon be a thing of the past. Mumbai’s ‘kaali peeli’ cabs are collectively embracing the digital age and will now compete with cab aggregators on an equal footing, thanks to Aamchi Drive - a mobile application developed by Bengaluru-based startup Sun Telematics.
“I noticed that in the past few years, the taxis of Mumbai have lagged behind in terms of technology and innovation,” said Anthony Sheen, co-founder and chief executive officer at Sun Telematics who earlier worked for a company in Mumbai. “There has been a strong need for a digital platform to organise and improve this digital service and the Aamchi drive app seeks to fill that very gap.”
Both of Mumbai’s major taxi unions have signed up to usher the century-old service to the digital world. AL Quadros of Mumbai Taximen’s Association said, “The success of this platform is in the hands of the drivers or owners by registering themselves on the platform in huge numbers and not rejecting any jobs coming to them. The technology will help us become the lifeline of Mumbaikars again.”
Over the last few years, Ola and Uber have gained in prominence not only on account of discounted fares and better service but also because they tend not to refuse a ride once booked. Sanjay Pal, an owner of a black and yellow taxi in Mumbai accepts that over the past decade things have changed a lot in the taxi trade. For one, drivers often refuse rides covering a short distance. “That will be a thing of the past with this new app. We are starting off fresh and you’ll see the difference,” Quadros said.
As for the app, you get an option to pay by cash or wallets like Paytm or the app’s official wallet partner, MobiKwik and there is no such thing as surge pricing. A trip will cost the same as it would on a regular meter in the day or at night. Users have the option to book an air-conditioned cab or a regular one on the platform and the app is available in English, Hindi and Marathi.
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