Yatri Sathi, an app for booking cabs launched by the Bengal government, will be introduced in Siliguri from next month.

In October last year, chief minister Mamata Banerjee had launched the app in Calcutta to enable people to avail taxi services at affordable rates.

“We are all set to launch the app in Siliguri in July. Through the app, people can book cabs to travel in and around Siliguri and reserve cabs for outstation travel,” said Rajdeep Dutta, the operations head of the app.

According to him, there will be two types of operations in Siliguri — special zone and open market.

Primarily, important transit points like New Jalpaiguri railway station, the Siliguri Junction area and Bagdogra airport have been marked as special zones.

“From these areas, cabs can be booked for any destination within or around the city and for the hills. For all other places, cabs can be reserved through the app for local trips,” added Dutta.

He said that recently, they started the registration process, managed by the Siliguri Metropolitan Police, for drivers.

Sources said that as the registration was underway, the exact number of cabs to come under the purview of the app, was yet to be final.

“Police will have all information about each cab and all drivers registered with the app. They will also fix the rates, but those would be different from rates in Calcutta as the roads in Siliguri are narrower and there is a trend of booking outstation cabs, especially for the hills,” said a source.

As a part of the process, the police and other authorities concerned have held talks with taxi unions, which, sources said, agreed to cooperate.

“We are training drivers so that passengers don’t face any inconvenience,” said Bishwachand Thakur, deputy commissioner (traffic) of Siliguri Metropolitan Police.

Those associated with the tourism industry in the region said the cab app can greatly help visitors and tourists.

“There are instances when tourists have alleged that cab drivers charge exorbitant fares, misbehave with them or drop them in random places instead of specific destinations. Once the app is introduced, we believe these problems will be ironed out,” said a senior tour operator based in Siliguri.

He pointed out that the app would ensure fares were fair and open up a convenient travel option for residents in and around Siliguri as well.