Express press service

KOCHI: Suddenly there’s an abundance problem for local rickshaw and taxi drivers, who are looking to woo customers through apps. As the government of Kerala is set to launch the pilot project of its online automated taxi service, “Kerala Savaari”, by the end of this month in the limit of Thiruvananthapuram company, the call app Kochi Metropolitan Transport Authority’s automatic AuSa (AutoSavari) is expected to go live in August. Yatri, the taxi service of KMTA, is already operational in the city of Kochi.

Experts said it’s a win-win situation for automatic taxi drivers and people who are fed up with private players like Uber and Ola for their high fees and safety concerns. Kerala Savaari is an initiative of the Kerala Motor Transport Workers Welfare Fund (KMTWWF) under the Labor Department.

“The final stages of updating and rectifying the application are underway. Hopefully by the end of July we will launch the pilot project in Thiruvananthapuram. At least 500 taxi and auto drivers have registered for the project and received training,” said Renjith P Manohar, Additional Labor Commissioner and CEO of KMTWWF Board. “Drivers will be allowed to charge government rates and a small percentage will be charged as commission for every trip. Efforts are underway to expand the service to other cities, especially Kochi, by the end of this year,” he added.

Kerala Savaari is implemented in conjunction with agencies such as the Police, Department of Motor Vehicles and State IT Mission, who have designed the app. “The GPS-enabled service will have an emergency option built into the app that can alert the nearby police station in the event of an unwanted incident,” a project official said.

“The government’s initiative will greatly help taxi and car drivers. We have been informed that the government is in discussion with agencies in the auto and allied sectors to provide services at a subsidized rate to registered drivers,” said KS Sunil Kumar, General Secretary of Kerala State Auto Taxi and Light Motor Workers Federation . Kerala Open Mobility Network has launched KMTA, a platform to integrate different modes of transport in Kochi, in 2021. Under it, Yatri and AuSa auto taxi calling apps provide drivers and passengers with a reliable platform.

“The Yatri app has already started operating in the city and has over 1,800 registered drivers. Enforcement is progressing with a minimum of 70-80 rides per day,” said Ernakulam Jilla Car Drivers Union (CITU) Joint Secretary Harilal KJ.

Arun Prasad (name changed), 41, an online taxi driver who uses Ola, Uber and Yatri, said: “Earning three Yatri trip orders equals seven trips made by Uber. Only a few rare customers are aware of the new service. If Yatri’s service had received more publicity, things would have been different,” he said.

The KMTA, backed by the Kerala MTA Act, 2019, is the first such authority in India to integrate, plan and regulate different modes of transport. The trial of KMTA’s AuSa app has been completed and is expected to be launched with Kochi Corporation’s e-auto project, a source said.

KOCHI: Suddenly there’s an abundance problem for local rickshaw and taxi drivers, who are looking to woo customers through apps. As the government of Kerala is set to launch the pilot project of its online automated taxi service, “Kerala Savaari”, by the end of this month in the limit of Thiruvananthapuram company, the call app Kochi Metropolitan Transport Authority’s automatic AuSa (AutoSavari) is expected to go live in August. Yatri, the taxi service of KMTA, is already operational in the city of Kochi. Experts said it’s a win-win situation for automatic taxi drivers and people who are fed up with private players like Uber and Ola for their high fees and safety concerns. Kerala Savaari is an initiative of the Kerala Motor Transport Workers Welfare Fund (KMTWWF) under the Labor Department. “The final stages of updating and rectifying the application are underway. Hopefully by the end of July we will launch the pilot project in Thiruvananthapuram. At least 500 taxi and auto drivers have registered for the project and received training,” said Renjith P Manohar, Additional Labor Commissioner and CEO of KMTWWF Board. “Drivers will be allowed to charge government rates and a small percentage will be charged as commission for every trip. Efforts are underway to expand the service to other cities, especially Kochi, by the end of this year,” he added. Kerala Savaari is implemented in collaboration with agencies such as the police, Department of Motor Vehicles, and State Computer Mission, which designed the app.” The GPS-enabled service will have an emergency option built into the app that can alert the station of police nearby in case of an unwanted incident,” said a project manager. “The government’s initiative will greatly help taxi and car drivers. We have been informed that the government is in discussion with agencies in the auto and allied sectors to provide services at a subsidized rate to registered drivers,” said KS Sunil Kumar, General Secretary of Kerala State Auto Taxi and Light Motor Workers Federation . Kerala Open Mobility Network has launched KMTA, a platform to integrate different modes of transport in Kochi, in 2021. Under it, Yatri and AuSa auto taxi calling apps provide drivers and passengers with a reliable platform. “The Yatri app has already started operating in the city and has over 1,800 registered drivers. Enforcement is progressing with a minimum of 70-80 rides per day,” said Ernakulam Jilla Car Drivers Union (CITU) Joint Secretary Harilal KJ. Arun Prasad (name changed), 41, an online taxi driver who uses Ola, Uber and Yatri, said: “Earning three Yatri trip orders equals seven trips made by Uber. Only a few rare customers are aware of the new service. If Yatri’s service had received more publicity, things would have been different,” he said. The KMTA, backed by the Kerala MTA Act, 2019, is the first such authority in India to integrate, plan and regulate different modes of transport. The trial of KMTA’s AuSa app has been completed and is expected to be launched with Kochi Corporation’s e-auto project, a source said.