Coimbatore-based Uzhaikkum Karangal Taxi (UKT) Owners Drivers Welfare Association recently tied up with Technology firm Moovlee to provide app based cab services in Coimbatore.
The app based taxi service has been seeing a lot of turmooil in recent days with reports of driver agitation and strikes comming from all over the country. The sector is undergoing rapid growth with the two imcumbents. Ola and Uber are fighting it out to become #1 players in the market. In the process, the cab community has been handed a raw deal- with near impossible targets and falling incentive schemes, many drivers and owners are unable to service thier car loans and are on the verge of bankruptcy.
In this context UK Taxi Association and Moovlee are pioneering a socially viable cooperative model in the app based taxi service industry, probably for the first time in India. More than 375 taxis under the association will be using state of the art mobile app infrastructure from moovlee to book and service rides all over Coimbatore.
A source from Moovlee stated that in addition to software services, moovlee will be providing training and marketing support for the initiative. The unique partnership has the potential to quickly become an alternate business model for this industry and the Moovlee social platform can empower thousands of small operators and taxi unions in competing with the market heavyweights.
The social venture has been aptly tag lined By the Drivers for the People. “This is a driver’s movement. We will have our own brand. We will set the tariff, maintain quality and provide the people of Coimbatore with safe and reliable rides” explained P Raja, the president of UKT.
The association promises customer friendly service with no malpractices like surge pricing. The driver members are also excited - “They say we are partners, but they treat us as labours. Now we can be truly independent” remarked one of the taxi drivers on his experience with the cab aggregators, clearly hoping for a change in situation soon.