Chief minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday launched an app to aggregate metered taxis in Calcutta.
The government-promoted Yatri Sathi app promises to help riders hail AC and non-AC metred taxis.
“I congratulate everyone associated with the Yatri Sathi app, whoever is associated and wherever you are present,” Mamata said on Monday afternoon while launching the app, virtually, from her Kalighat residence. The programme’s logo read “My city, my ride” in Bangla.
Senior officials said the app will offer rides at a cheaper rate compared with other
such apps as the state government will charge a minimum operating cost and hand the rest of the earning to the operators.
The app was under trial for the past three months on metered taxis, an official said.
When the app was formally launched on Monday, around 21,000 vehicles were on the platform, a senior official said.
In the evening, the Yatri Sathi app showed that an AC ride from Kasba to Chandni Chowk would cost Rs 281. The fare for a non-AC taxi was Rs 231.
Around the same time, a private app-cab aggregator flashed a fare of Rs 397.97 for an AC ride from Kasba to Chandni Chowk.
A transport department official said there would be no “surge fares” on the Yatri Sathi app.
Developed by the state’s information technology (IT) department for the transport department, the app is available on Google Play Store (for Android phones) and iOS (for iPhones).
“Unlike private app-cab aggregators, the state government has reduced its operating cost to the bare minimum for the Yatri Sathi app so the basic fare remains low. Calcutta police are involved in the project and passengers are assured of a secured ride,” transport minister Snehasis Chakraborty said.
“During the trial, the app clocked close to 3,500 daily rides on an average. We hope this number will go up after the formal launch. An increasing number of cabs, which are registered with other platforms, are eager to join Yatri Sathi,” the minister said.
“Apart from the blue-and-white and yellow taxis, many taxis that are registered on other platforms have shown tremendous enthusiasm to join Yatri Sathi because they are getting lower returns there.... This is a first-of-its-kind initiative by any state government.”
Several commuters said they were relieved to know about an app that promised affordable fares for metered taxis.
“The metred taxis have long stopped running on metres. It’s about a fixed amount for a particular distance and the fare is almost non-negotiable,” said Shantanu Roy, a private bank officer in Tollygunge.
The state government has tied up with multiple UPI service providers for the app.
“The metred taxis were headed for a slow but sure death in this city. This initiative by the state government offers a fresh lease of life to the metered taxi operators,” said Sambhu Nath De, of the Progressive Taximen’s Union.