Bengaluru Auto Unions Created The Mobile App "Namma Yatri" To Compete With Aggregators

Bengaluru's auto unions created their own ride-hailing app, "Namma Yatri," in an effort to compete with aggregators and businesses like Ola and Uber. The a news agency  said that the Autorickshaw Drivers Union (ARDU), together with the Beckn Foundation, an organisation sponsored by Infosys co-founder Nandan Nilekani, will launch the app on November 1.

The exorbitant price of gas, the significant commissions paid to the aggregator for each ride—believed to be as high as 30%—the EMI payments on their vehicles, the challenging work environment with unreachable goals, and the inevitable traffic jams all appear to be adding to the cab drivers' discontent.

Another union, Peace Auto, had planned to collaborate with a mobility firm in Bengaluru on the creation of a comparable app called "Rook," but that date has been postponed.

The high fees that the ride-hailing applications were charging, according to the drivers, were driving away customers. Aggregators charge 100 for the first two kilometres when the minimum auto rickshaw fare is set at 30.

The Karnataka Transport Department was informed about Ola and Uber's overcharging practises, and after receiving numerous customer complaints, it reportedly ordered them to cease operating auto rickshaw services in the city within three days.

Auto rickshaws are the backbone of first- and last-mile transportation in Bengaluru. There have been various claims recently that tech aggregators demand a minimum fee of Rs. 100 rather than the set limit of Rs. 30.