Dial-an-auto service to come to Mumbai soon?

Your daily struggle to find an autorickshaw may soon become a thing of the past, with two IITians considering launching a ‘Dial-an-auto’ scheme in the city.

The model is in existence in Pune, where it was started by the same duo — Janardhan Prasad and Mukesh Jha from the Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur — in May this year. 

Akash Jadhav, a Chembur resident who commutes by autorickshaws daily, said, “If it saves me the trouble of finding a willing auto driver who doesn’t charge exorbitantly, I will surely go for it.” Another regular auto commuter, Sarita Sharma from Andheri, said the scheme will be beneficial only if the auto drivers reached her location on time.   

Shashank Rao, of the Sharad Rao-led autorickshaw drivers’ union, said, “We will welcome any concept that helps auto drivers as well as commuters. But we will oppose the scheme if it encourages commercialisation, as in the case of fleet cab services.” 

A regional transport officer told DNA that the department will have to look into the details of the scheme to give an opinion. But it saw no reason why it will oppose it. 

Prasad is working out a business model for the scheme. “We are considering levying a convenience fee to compensate the auto drivers, who will have to bear a loss while going to pick up the commuter,” he said. “We are also considering the option of putting up ads inside the autos.”