PUNE: Autorickshaw drivers accepting rides on the Rapido application have started demanding fare by the meter after Uber's driver partners, hassling commuters in the city.
Preeti Singh booked a cab via the Rapido application on April 15 from MG Road to go to her home in the NIBM area. She was shocked when the autorickshaw driver said she had to pay the fare by the meter.
"There was a notice in the autorickshaw about it. I thought the regulation was for the Uber autorickshaws only. Since it was really hot and I was waiting for a long time for an autorickshaw, I agreed to pay by the meter — about Rs60 more than what was shown in the application," Singh told TOI.
A Rapido spokesperson told TOI that they had recently started following the SaaS (software as a service) model, like Uber. "Rapido offers subscription services to auto and cab drivers. It does not undertake commission-based aggregator services. This model is driver- and user-friendly because it acts as a ride discovery platform. The driver gets full payment of the service instantly and directly from the customer," he said.
"SaaS is quite distinct from ‘zero commission' being offered by other market participants. This, we understand, is essentially a temporarily discounted commission model while operating because an aggregator requires a licence. With the implementation of the SaaS model, we have seen a significant uptick in our captain (driver partner) retention across the platform, ensuring more available rides for commuters," a Rapido spokesperson told TOI.
Some commuters had a tough time after the shift in the auto fare system. A passenger described a horrid experience on Reddit.
He claimed that he had booked an autorickshaw via Rapido. After arriving, the auto driver told him that he would have to pay the fare by the meter. The passenger was under the impression that the "fare-by-meter" rule was only for Uber autos. He posted that after he cancelled the Rapido ride and booked another auto via Ola, the Rapido auto driver got angry and confronted him. The passenger, according to the post, was hassled by the Rapido driver repeatedly.
Commuters blamed the Pune RTO for the confusion. "First, it is allowing application-based services to operate in the city despite not having a licence. Besides, its officials are not informing people about the aggregators' policy changes. Why can't proper and prior information be given to us?" said Ekant Sarwar, a resident of Vimannagar.
Attempts to contact the RTO officials proved futile on Friday, while commuters stressed on getting the right information. "The RTO should inform people formally regarding these changes in detail via different mediums. In most cases, we are paying more than what is reflected in these applications, which isn't fair," Kaustabh Parikh, a Koregaon Park resident, said.
Preeti Singh booked a cab via the Rapido application on April 15 from MG Road to go to her home in the NIBM area. She was shocked when the autorickshaw driver said she had to pay the fare by the meter.
"There was a notice in the autorickshaw about it. I thought the regulation was for the Uber autorickshaws only. Since it was really hot and I was waiting for a long time for an autorickshaw, I agreed to pay by the meter — about Rs60 more than what was shown in the application," Singh told TOI.
A Rapido spokesperson told TOI that they had recently started following the SaaS (software as a service) model, like Uber. "Rapido offers subscription services to auto and cab drivers. It does not undertake commission-based aggregator services. This model is driver- and user-friendly because it acts as a ride discovery platform. The driver gets full payment of the service instantly and directly from the customer," he said.
"SaaS is quite distinct from ‘zero commission' being offered by other market participants. This, we understand, is essentially a temporarily discounted commission model while operating because an aggregator requires a licence. With the implementation of the SaaS model, we have seen a significant uptick in our captain (driver partner) retention across the platform, ensuring more available rides for commuters," a Rapido spokesperson told TOI.
Some commuters had a tough time after the shift in the auto fare system. A passenger described a horrid experience on Reddit.
He claimed that he had booked an autorickshaw via Rapido. After arriving, the auto driver told him that he would have to pay the fare by the meter. The passenger was under the impression that the "fare-by-meter" rule was only for Uber autos. He posted that after he cancelled the Rapido ride and booked another auto via Ola, the Rapido auto driver got angry and confronted him. The passenger, according to the post, was hassled by the Rapido driver repeatedly.
Commuters blamed the Pune RTO for the confusion. "First, it is allowing application-based services to operate in the city despite not having a licence. Besides, its officials are not informing people about the aggregators' policy changes. Why can't proper and prior information be given to us?" said Ekant Sarwar, a resident of Vimannagar.
Attempts to contact the RTO officials proved futile on Friday, while commuters stressed on getting the right information. "The RTO should inform people formally regarding these changes in detail via different mediums. In most cases, we are paying more than what is reflected in these applications, which isn't fair," Kaustabh Parikh, a Koregaon Park resident, said.
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