The Maharashtra transport department next week in Mumbai will officially launch ApnaCabs, a government-authorised aggregator of black-and-yellow taxis and cool cabs.
Though the aggregator received its licence in the first week of December and it has already started providing services, it will officially be launched by the state transport commissioner Sonia Sethi next week.
Customers can call a ‘kaali peeli’ taxi or cool cab by making a simple phone call on 600-00-200 or by downloading the ApnaCabs app. All the drivers registered with ApnaCabs are fully licensed, insured and have undergone an extensive background check.
ApnaCabs will initiate a facility to better secure passengers, especially women and allow for a dual voice communication facility with a panic button for pre-paid cabs. After the Uber rape case, the central government had announced the installation of GPS and panic buttons for passengers’ safety in all cabs including those run by application-based service providers. Though it hasn’t been fully implemented in the state, this new initiative will have all the security facilities.
“Currently, all these cabs have installed panic buttons in their applications. So, in case of any emergency, the passenger needs to log in to the application to press the panic button. But this is for the first time that such a button is there. In a crisis, the passenger just needs to press the button and the rescue will be on its way,” said Srikanth Lingidi, founder and CEO, ApnaCabs.
The button will be directly linked to the live operator who will monitor all the movements. After receiving the signal, the operator will directly inform the nearby police station.
“In fact, the passengers and the operator can directly communicate after the button is pressed. Unlike in other cabs, the passengers have to wait for calls from the operator. This makes the passengers dependent on their mobile to seek help. But here even if they lose their mobile, they can communicate to the operator,” said Mr Lingidi.
Also, all these cabs will be provided with Global Positioning System to monitor them. So, in any such situation, the GPS will help in pinning the movement of the cabs. Moreover, before sitting in the cab, the passengers will be provided with the option to test the button to check if it is working properly.
“This will eliminate the chances of faulty buttons,” he said.
