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Threat of radio cabs in Bangalore is forcing autowalas to turn honest

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Aravind Gowda
Aravind GowdaDec 09, 2014 | 14:42

Threat of radio cabs in Bangalore is forcing autowalas to turn honest

Bengaluru’s auto rickshaws, the only quickest mode of transport has gained notoriety over the decades for their unprofessionalism, unruly behavior, over charging and harassing customers, and even taking international tourists for a royal ride across the city simply because they did not have any challenger. Their domination on the city streets was so strong that neither the government’s Transport Department nor the traffic police could do rein in them! But in the last three months, there has been a dramatic change in the mindset of the auto rickshaw drivers! Always the first to enhance fare whenever the prices of fuel went up, today, the auto rickshaw drivers want to reduce their fare to remain competitive in the market.

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But how did the tables turn? What prompted the auto rickshaw drivers, who literally fleeced the customers day and night, to undertake a course correction? The answer is – it has now become a matter for survival for them! In the last six months, as many as 6 taxi firms, backed by the latest technology, are offering rides to customers in some of the best cars in the city and at fares that are lower than that of auto rickshaws! It is but natural for customers to select a safer and cheaper mode of transport over a rickety auto rickshaw.

When these taxi firms pressed their cars into service, the auto rickshaw drivers ignored them contended that their business model was not sustainable. But six months down the line, not only has the fleet of the taxi firms increased, but many tourist vehicles have also registered under these firms. With the auto rickshaw drivers feeling the heat very badly, now, they have decided to amend their ways. But is it too late? We never know how technology can further disrupt their market.

One of the major reasons for commuters in Bengaluru to opt for the latest taxi services is the unruly behavior of the drivers and their rigged fare meters. Auto rickshaw drivers have often robbed passengers or fleeced them for money or simply refuse to be hailed by passengers. The experience of commuters, who cannot speak Kannada, is even worse. A decade ago, a survey conducted by the city police revealed that nearly 50% of the auto rickshaw drivers in Bengaluru had some kind of criminal background. Now there are a lakh+ auto rickshaws in the city, but commuters still find it hard to hail an auto rickshaw to their destination because of the mindset of the drivers.

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For several decades, Bengalureans had to suffer from the domination of the auto rickshaws. In the absence of a strong public transport system and narrow roads causing traffic snarls, auto rickshaws were the only quickest means of transport for commuters in the city. The minimum fare charged by an auto rickshaw is Rs 25 for the first 2 kilometers and Rs 13 for every next 1 kilometer. If the traffic is moving at snail’s pace, the fare can further go up because of the “waiting” period on road. During nights, between 9 pm and 12 am, the auto rickshaw fare is one-and-a-half times the normal fare and past midnight, it becomes double or depends on the whims and fancies of the drivers! In a way, travelling in an auto rickshaw had almost become luxury ever since fuel prices sky rocketed.

With the Metro train services yet to connect every nook and corner of the city and it still remaining a distant dream, commuters have no option other than welcoming the newly-launched taxi services never mind if they need to wait for 20 minutes. The taxi services, in particular, have become extremely popular in the IT corridors of the city, like Electronics City, Whitefield, Sarjapura Road, Marathahalli Outer Ring Road and Manyata Tech Park where taxis are just a call away.

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Technologies, such as, GPS-based tracking and mobile app based fare calculation have been introduced by the taxi firms and this level of transparency has become an instant hit among commuters. For instance, a journey that cost Rs 280 in an auto rickshaw, costs less than Rs 200 in a taxi in Bengaluru! These taxi firms are literally signaling the collapse of the dominance of the auto rickshaws. It is high time that the auto rickshaw drivers woke up to the competition as “survival of the fittest” is being seen in action in Bengaluru.

Karnataka takes the leap

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Karnataka, which has been at the forefront of implementing e-governance initiatives, has gone a step further to evolve citizen-centric M-governance initiatives. More than 4,000 government related services will be now available to citizens on their mobile phones.

Bill payments, including payment of taxes, phone bills, accessing traffic alerts, fine payments, and payments for utility services, such as water supply, power, and many more can be performed on fingertips by citizens using their basic feature phones. The most important factor to ensure the success of some of the initiatives is that the bank accounts of the users have to be linked to their phones.

The M-governance initiatives are SMS-based, and bulk of the services will be offered through an interactive mode, as the smartphone penetration is still poor in Karnataka. However, the biggest challenge for the government will be to motivate people to use their phones to utilize the services listed under M-governance.

In the past, the state government had launched a few M-governance initiatives on a pilot basis and the response from the users was encouraging. Going forward, these initiatives are expected to eliminate the hassles faced by citizens in utilizing government services. At the same time, ensuring that people use these services through M-governance initiatives will be a long-term plan for the government.

Mobile apps will play an important role in making the M-governance initiatives popular. It is to be seen how the government evolves mobile apps for M-governance initiatives, as they seem to be the most popular among the present generation. With prices of smartphones falling steeply in the recent times with the introduction of advanced operating system, future M-governance initiatives have to take these developments into consideration.

Leading smartphone manufacturers have now evolved low cost models for market penetration and inclusive growth, particularly for markets like India. While users shift to low cost smartphones from feature phones, M-governance initiatives have to be integrated at the early stage itself.

Saluting the legend 

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Eight years after Kannada’s greatest celluloid personality Dr. Rajkumar passed away, the Karnataka government, in association with the Kannada film fraternity, dedicated a memorial for him at the Kanteerava Studios in Bengaluru. Such was the popularity of Dr. Rajkumar, the recipient of the prestigious Dada Saheb Phalke award, that legends of south Indian cinema, such as Tamil superstar Rajinikanth and Telugu megastar Chiranjeevi attended the inauguration of the Kannada matinee idol.

In a rare gesture, Kannada film stars, set aside their on-screen and off-screen rivalries, to pay tribute to the thespian, by putting up a colorful cultural gala in Bengaluru and it was attended by thousands of film fans. Not many know that Rajinikanth, the biggest draw of south Indian cinema today, was a close friend of the Kannada actor and still cherishes Dr Rajkumar’s autograph, the only ever he sought from any performer till date.

An accomplished playback singer and stage performer, Dr Rajkumar recently proved once again why he is still considered the ultimate superstar of Kannada cinemas. His movie, Kasturi Nivasa (1971), a cult classic, which released last month in color version, has set the BO on fire while other stars are struggling draw audiences to the theatres. One of the very few actors, who followed the same principles on-screen and off-screen, Kannadigas, who consider Rajkumar as their cultural icon, are dearly missing him.

Lured by the stars?

Is Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah star struck? The once upon-a-time self-declared socialist is seen hobnobbing with the Kannada film stars a lot of late! Last week, the CM was at the inauguration of the memorial of Kannada thespian, the late Dr. Rajkumar and the same evening he enjoyed the cultural fete put by film stars. Recently, he appointed Kannada film actress Bhavana as chairperson of a government corporation. Siddaramaiah, who has declared that he will quit politics after his tenure as a CM, seems to be making the most of it while in power!

Last updated: December 09, 2014 | 14:42
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