Pawcab: A cab for your four-legged friend

Humans who book a cab for commuting in the city do not have to leave their dogs behind as a new player in the market has offered to take their four-legged friends along.

Pawcab, a city-based cab aggregator, launched its services aimed at dog lovers on Wednesday. Amrut S H, who runs the startup, said they have tied up with pet clinics, grooming centres and training schools to provide a one-stop shop for all pet transportation needs.

People can book a cab with the Pawcab app though they may end up shelling out more for taking the dog along than the fare they pay for themselves.

Amurt said the aggregator offers two services depending on the number of dogs. “The Indica cab offers the starting fare for one dog and its guardian. Those with more than one have to book an Omni,” he said.

The first five kilometres have a base fare with Rs 150 for small (Indica) car and Rs 200 for Omni. The per kilometre charge after the base fare is fixed at Rs 22 for Omni and Rs 25 for Indica cars. The rates are above and beyond the fares fixed by the transport department for the taxis, including those offered by Ola and Uber. The latest fare chart that was issued in March has divided taxis into five categories based on the cost of the vehicles.

The cabs with maximum fares are those that cost above Rs 16 lakh, including the luxury cars. After the base fare of Rs 80 for the first four kilometres, passengers will pay a maximum of Rs 45 per kilometre. However, passengers can’t take their pets with them.

Asked whether the aggregator had obtained permission from the department, Amrut said, “We are working on it as there is no rule governing pet cabs.” About the high fares violating the slabs set by the government, he said he will take necessary steps to ensure the fares fit the slabs.

The company has 20 cabs on its platform and plans to increase it to 250 in the coming days. “Bengaluru has a lot of potential for cabs that carry dogs. We are planning to increase the fleet to 250 depending on the demand,” he said.