In the last few years, self-drive car rental service ZoomCar has built up a reputation for being easy on the pocket as well as offering easy drives. The pandemic has made the company think “how consumer behaviour will change post-Covid” while remaining upbeat about the role of IT and IoT (Internet of Things) in its business. Greg Moran, CEO and co-founder of ZoomCar, told The Telegraph over email about the road ahead.

In the coming days, do you think people would rent more vehicles over public or shared transport?

What used to be the norm till last year may well become obsolete in the coming weeks. The notion of owning a car amidst such an intensifying emphasis on social distance may have taken a back seat. Still, the necessity of a mobility service remains as relevant as before. As people would avoid public transport to keep themselves safe from contracting the virus, the need for rental cars will only go up. The industry is looking at various car subscription models to serve the needs of customers. We also see more demand for in-city trips compared to outstation ones and a strong focus on shorter-term subscriptions. Our focus will be to diversify on this front and ensure we are covering all cities.

Being a technology-driven company, how are you using IoT to ensure your fleet remains in good shape?

With Covid-19 forcing operations to go entirely digital, ZoomCar is leveraging technology such as AI and IoT to offer an impeccable experience to its customers. We also have key-less entry, which minimises human contact and curbs transmission of the virus. Every car is also thoroughly sanitised before and after each drive. With deep-rooted technology models, ZoomCar has tweaked its mobile app to allow customers to reach out at any time in case of a query through emails, messages and chatbots. The platform’s entirely digital payment gateway also makes for a smooth and hassle-free experience. Vehicle monitoring and predictive analysis will help us with data like speed, distance, RPM, clutch, break and time that will be used to calculate the driver score, which encourages customers to drive cautiously. Not only does it increase safety of the customers but will also help maintain the car in a better condition. A close eye will be kept on engine temperature and coolant level to predict engine seizures before it happens and guide the customers safely to a stop in case of any such situation.

With the pandemic continuing, what are some of the initiatives you have taken to keep the business afloat?

In these trying times, ZoomCar is driven with a singular motto to minimise any disruptions in essential service and business partners while ensuring safety for individual service providers and contractors. While we have grounded the fleet in accordance with the government’s shutdown order, the company utilised select vehicles to ensure emergency mobility for the frontline workforce, including bankers, healthcare professionals and delivery executives. ZoomCar also partnered with various organisations that are considered essential in this lockdown period to ensure their employees are provided a safe commuting option. We expect to see a significant spike in demand for personal mobility post-lockdown and are preparing for a 4x to 5x hike in demand in the coming months.

There is an exponential spike in demand expected for car subscriptions as well, especially considering the current recession, car subscriptions can prove to be a better option as a more affordable and quicker way of acquiring a car, delivering a safe personal mobility replacement.

What are some of the steps owners should take to ensure their cars are in good shape?

With cars lying idle, it’s critical that they go for a tune-up at the local workshop before going back on road in earnest. It’s never ideal for mechanical and electrical components to sit idle for prolonged periods of time so tune-ups before more heavy usage again is highly advisable.