New ride-hailing app revs up, hopes to take on biggies

Amid tough competition, Namtaxi promises cheaper rides and better earnings

A ride aggregator called Namtaxi is beginning operations on Republic Day. It promises cheaper rides for passengers and better earnings for auto and cab drivers.

The odds are tough. An earlier initiative called Namma TYGR, which promised to provide an alternative to Uber and Ola, never took off despite the support of former chief minister H D Kumaraswamy.

Namtaxi is a Bengaluru-based challenger to multinational giants with deep pockets; it believes it can compete by offering better deals.

Dr V Vijaylakshmi, an educationalist, came up with the idea of Namtaxi when she failed to get a cab and a driver told her cabbies cancel trips when they feel their earnings after deductions are too low.

She then joined hands with others, including Zakir Hussain, the managing director, to launch a service that promises to make it better for drivers, and stop them from cancelling trips.

Namtaxi says it already has 10,000 drivers under its wings. Hussain told Metrolife that only those who have undergone police verification are allowed to tie up with the company.

“There is no verification for autos because they run their usual trips,” says Hussain. He says auto trips will start from January 26. About 200 autos will ply on that day.

He says Namtaxi cabs charge Rs 60 for 2 km and Rs 15 for every additional km. “The commission for the company is at 10 per cent for cabs and nothing for autos,” he says. Drivers always look for airport pickups because long trips earn them better. “Our services to the airport, railway stations and bus stations will be launched in a month. We will charge only Rs 9 a km,” he explains.

Among the interesting features is an emergency button and emergency contact service for women. “In case of emergency, when the driver clicks on the emergency button, three employees get a message with the location and a map link,” says Hussain.

Safety measures include driver tracking and round-the-clock chat support. “The app has access to the location of the drivers once they log in. Hence all rides are geo-tracked from start to finish. The staff is also connected to all the jurisdictional police stations in case the need arises. The driver has access to the employees of the company through the app,” he says.

Payment

Namtaxi drivers accept cash, cards and wallet payments. The company says it collects only 10 per cent as commission, as against 20 collected by other aggregators. The service includes three kinds of cars: micro, hatchback sedan, and SUV, besides auto.

Comparative rates

UberGO: Rs 66.50 for 2 km and Rs 18 every additional km
Ola: The minimum fare for Mini is Rs 60 and Micro it is Rs 50 and Prime Sedan Rs 70.

NamTaxi: Rs 60 for 2km and Rs 15 every additional km