The Municipal Corporati-on of Gurgaon will roll out its application-based autorickshaw service “G-Auto” — modelled along the lines of Uber and Ola on Thursday. These autos will run on physical meters and charge a flat rate of '8 per km, with '25 as the minimum fare for the first 2 km.
The MCG has launched this service in partnership with a private organisation running a similar service in multiple cities. The application is designed in a way to look out for the safety purpose of its commuters. As soon as a person books an auto via the app, the route, fare and driver’s profile will be available on their screens. Movements of these autos will be tracked from a control room in Sector 39 and the credentials of all drivers verified by the police. An additional night charge amounting to a total of 25 per cent of the normal fare will also be charged between 10 pm and 6 am.
There are 18,000 autorickshaws in Gurgaon and some 200 auto drivers have already been roped in by the civic body for the first phase of the service. The pilot project was launched in October after its success in Delhi, Ahmedabad, Surat, Gandhinagar and Rajkot. These auto drivers have been empowered with smartphones and the app is designed to connect them with people. Those wanting to try the service will first have to download the “G-Auto” app on their smartphones, which is available only on Android platform for now. An iOS and Windows version of the app will reportedly be developed after getting a proper feedback.
Often people are forced to use their personal vehicles even while going to Metro stations or short distances within the city. This app-based service is expected to bridge this gap by promising more business to auto drivers and reliable service to the people.
The district administration is also working on launching an e-rickshaw service in Gurgaon within the next couple of months. A senior officer said that the planning was underway for e-rickshaws.
