New Delhi: With the advent of mobile application-based taxi services, Indian cities have witnessed a silent revolution in the monopolistic taxi-rental market, and in the process, also changed the lives of thousands of drivers.
Govind Prasad, a 40-year-old, is a happy man today. Prasad moved to Delhi 16 years ago in search of work. Born in Rajasthan's Bharatpur district, he completed his Bachelors in Arts from the Jaipur University in 1997.
“After completing my graduation I couldn't find any work. So, I decided to learn driving and moved to Delhi,” he told IBNLive. He found an opportunity as a cab driver with a private firm and continued it for 15 years before he chose to be self employed.
In 2014, Prasad decided to buy an auto-rickshaw in order to be self-reliant. “I wanted a change. While driving a cab for the company I couldn't give time to my family. I wanted to start something on my own and decided to buy an auto-rickshaw from my savings.”
Shifting from a fixed-income job wasn't easy. “It’s difficult finding passengers, I soon started feeling the heat of operational costs,” said Prasad. “It was then when my friend told me about Ola Cabs and how it helps him get passengers without wandering and wasting any time or fuel.”
Prasad decided to join hands with Ola Cabs who had then started partnering with three wheelers. "Ola gave me Rs 5,000 per month just as an incentive to partner with them.” He says cab service firms such as Ola have come as a relief for auto drivers like him.
"I do not have to search for passengers now. They have provided me with a GPS enabled mobile phone on which I get text messages from the company informing me about the passenger's location," he said.
When asked about the economics of the deal, Prasad said he was more than happy with the company's offer. “I am happy. The passenger has to pay me Rs 10 extra from the metre-calculated fare. In addition to that Ola also pays me Rs 30 extra for every ride."
Apart from providing drivers with extra money for every trip, the Bangalore-based company has also opened bank accounts for them. "They (Ola) have opened me an account in a private bank where they deposit all my receipts, I withdraw money from ATM machines,” Prasad said.
It's a win-win situation for the both the passenger and the auto driver as the driver gets a ready passenger while the passenger also does not have to wait or negotiate for a ride.
Ankita Sharma, a Delhi University student, says “Booking an auto is very convenient for travelling. It is cheaper and they mostly are available sooner than cabs. These kind of services save us from facing harassment and overcharging from autos and I do not have to wait for a ride also.”
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