Starting next week, passengers at Jayanagar Metro station in South Bengaluru could scan a QR code to book an auto rickshaw for last-mile connectivity.
A section of Bengaluru auto rickshaw drivers unveiled the beta version of MetroMitra services at Jayanagar Metro station on September 6. However, operations will commence only next week due to internal conflicts in the Autorickshaw Drivers Union (ARDU).
D Rudramurthy, general secretary of the Autorickshaw Drivers Union (ARDU), had announced the launch of MetroMitra at the Jayanagar station. However, another faction of ARDU affiliated with the Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU), the trade union wing of the CPI(M), staged a protest infront of station, stating that they are against partnering with corporate firms. They alleged that Rudramurthy has nothing to do with ARDU.
Rudramurthy told Moneycontrol that they will commence MetroMitra operations from Jayanagar Metro station next week. He said, "We have decided to form another organisation named 'Professional Drivers Association'. We will launch the services from Jayanagar Metro station first and later extend them to other stations, including RV Road."
MetroMitra is an initiative of auto rickshaw drivers in collaboration with Agnibhu Technologies, LatLong, and GiZ (Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit).
Rudramurthy said Metro passengers will be able to scan QR codes posted at major landmarks in and around Metro stations. He said passengers will soon be able to discover MetroMitra auto-rickshaws through BMRCL's WhatsApp chatbot (8105556677). MetroMitra drivers will charge the regular auto rickshaw fare along with a flat Rs 10 fee to cover technology and trip pickup costs.
Shankar Rudrapatna, CEO of Agnibhu Technologies, said, "We will soon join Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC) as a seller app. The plan is to extend Metro Mitra services to 25 Metro stations in Bengaluru by March 2024. Currently, ONDC platforms have a pre-fixed fare model, and our model is meter fare plus a Rs 10 convenience charge."
Moneycontrol reported ARDU's plan to launch MetroMitra on July 13
BMRCL managing director Anjum Parwez told Moneycontrol, "This is a noble initiative by auto drivers to improve last-mile connectivity. We have already extended our support and are in the process of integrating MetroMitra with our WhatsApp chatbot number (8105556677)," he said.
In Bengaluru, minimum auto rickshaw fare is fixed at Rs 30 for the first 2 km and Rs 15 for every additional kilometer. "Each station will have around 150 auto rickshaws," said Rudramurthy. Rudramurthy-led ARDU along with Juspay had launched Namma Yatri app on November 1, 2022 as an alternative to Ola and Uber.
Also read: Bengaluru: Ola Uber challenger Namma Yatri app to charge subscription fee from drivers
In Bengaluru, many people are hesitant to use public transport due to poor last-mile connectivity. In fact, a survey conducted among 3,855 respondents in Bengaluru as part of the Personal2Public campaign launched by NGOs, including the Bangalore Political Action Committee (B.PAC) and WRI India found that 95% percent in Bengaluru who currently use private vehicles to reach their offices expressed their willingness to shift to the Metro.
Also read: How Namma Yatri works and whether it can break Ola and Uber's duopoly?
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