[hserus]

A husband who quit his high-paying job as a resource desk engineer in HP after eight years to become a cab driver, and a wife who quit Convergys as a quality advisor to take up part-time stitching of clothes for children less fortunate than hers... this is the story of 33-year-old Deepak Shanmugam and his wife, Vijaylakshmi, 28.

Full story at: http://www.bangaloremirror.com/banga...w/47006028.cms

"Love of driving". tbhp folks, if you ever find yourself needing a cab in bangalore, use this guy.

Pity bangalore mirror didn't print his phone number, but he apparently drives a taxiforsure indica.

Mod Note: Moved to an existing thread where more people are likely to see it.

[alpha1]

Originally Posted by libranof1987

Surprisingly, most mention that Uber is stricter to get through because they have a detailed background check which involves taking info from the police. Clearly, they have/had different standards for India.

Actually they did, but you know how Police is in India. If driver/agent wants he will get the documents.
And how "well connected" is the network (Delhi police has zero clues about UP offenders).

[blue_pulsar]

Ola revised prices!
https://www.olacabs.com/fares/bangalore

This is very expensive. Re. 1 per minute of riding time? Ridiculous! On top of that they charge Rs. 50 peak time charges.

[JD1]

Are peak charges even legal? Ola, Taxiforsure had 50 and now Meru Genie also started charging 50. Not to mention the surge pricing of Uber (have seen surge price past midnight too and also as high as 3x!!).

[Tushar]

Radio cabs have become an increasingly popular option for commuters, with companies like Uber offering the service without a fleet of its own. A young entrepreneur named Apoorv Sharma has seen the potential in apps like Uber and has created an app of his own, targeting auto rickshaws in Jaipur.

The app is named ChalogeKya and commuters can use it to locate and hail the rickshaw closest to them. The service is free of charge for users, while auto rickshaw owners have to pay a monthly subscription fee to be visible on the app. The drivers are provided with a regular SIM card by the company.

ChalogeKya works with a combination of GPS and cell tower triangulation to enable direct contact between the passenger and the rickshaw. The app is aimed at providing an easier connect between commuters and rickshaws, but does not regulate the tariff or payments. However, it does have a feature to provide an estimate based on the starting point and destination.

ChalogeKya has tied up with Airtel and Idea for providing location based services using GPS and triangulation methods for the auto rickshaws across Rajasthan. The project is backed by Startup Oasis - an initiative by the Rajasthan State Industrial Development and Investment Corporation (RIICO) and the Centre for Innovation Incubation and Entrepreneurship (CIIE). ChalogeKya has also received funding from Rajasthan Angel Investors Network (RAIN).

Source: TOI

Click here for more details on the app.

(*Mods kindly move thread if required)

[MHG]

"The first ever app which hire auto rickshaw for you" - a lie powered by the added goodness of bad grammar.

There are plenty of apps which have come up in the last few years for hiring auto rickshaws, not counting platforms like Ola Cabs and Uber which can also be used to hire auto rickshaws in some cities.

While I always support new initiatives and want these guys to succeed, I dislike shoddy marketing.

[cpbopanna]

Originally Posted by blue_pulsar

Ola revised prices!
https://www.olacabs.com/fares/bangalore

This is very expensive. Re. 1 per minute of riding time? Ridiculous! On top of that they charge Rs. 50 peak time charges.

This is absolutely ridiculous!

I wrote a mail to Bhavish Aggarwal (CEO & Co-founder of Ola Cabs) yesterday and I got an absolutely idiotic reply from his staffer - with no reference to the context!

"Dear Mr. Bhavish Aggarwal

My apologies for writing to you directly, but I need someone to help me understand Ola’s billing methods better!
Until now, whenever I used a Ola Mini, the billing was as follows:
“Minimum bill of ₹100 for the first 6Kms and ₹10/km thereafter. Wait time charges at ₹2.0 per min after first 10 minutes, includes waiting time during the trip.”

Today, I find that that the billing has changed as follows:
“Minimum bill of ₹80 for the first 4 km and ₹10/km thereafter. Ride time at ₹1 per min after first 5 min, includes waiting time during the trip”

Can you kindly enlighten me on the concept of ride time?
Earlier you charged Rs. 2/minute for waiting DURING the journey, not to mention a Congestion Charge of Rs. 50 during peak time (which still stands)!

The wait time/ride time/congestion fee/change of base km…..will this not lead to multiple billing thereby rendering Ola uneconomical?

I have been using Ola Cabs regularly due to ease of use and reasonable billing. I keep my Ola money account charged up to further the concept of stress-free travelling, in spite of owning cars!
The least I would have expected from Ola was a communication that the billing method had changed and that “ride time” would be charged as well!

Agreed, it is there in the fine print – at the time of booking through the Ola app, but you will doubtless appreciate the impossibility of reading the ‘fine print’ when one is waiting for a cab on the road!

I shall be thankful if you could kindly drop a line in reply.

With my kind regards,

Bopanna"


Mail forwarded by Bhavish Aggarwal to his 'Customer Support'

On Mon, 4 May at 12:28 PM , Mail <mail@bopanna.com> wrote: customer got over charged plz check this booking
Speaks a lot about Ola's attitude towards customers!

This is the reply I got from his Customer (dis?)Service!

Ola Bopanna, Thank you for contacting Olacabs. We kindly request you to revert with exact amount which is charged, so that we can check and do the needful.
If there's anything else we can help you with, please feel free to contact us on 3355 3355 (please add your city code before the number). You can also drop us an email at support@olacabs.com.

Regards,
XXX
Customer Support
Olacabs

A bunch of swindlers, to say the least.
What started off as an excellent service is getting taken over by greed, the typical Indian way of killing the golden goose!

[JD1]

Originally Posted by cpbopanna

This is absolutely ridiculous!

I wrote a mail to Bhavish Aggarwal (CEO & Co-founder of Ola Cabs) yesterday and I got an absolutely idiotic reply from his staffer - with no reference to the context!

What started off as an excellent service is getting taken over by greed, the typical Indian way of killing the golden goose!

Totally agree. I used to love Ola but with their greediness by applying surcharge first (which Meru also followed and is applying now) and then the ride time charges, I have also stopped using Ola. On their FB page you will see countless comments/concerns regarding this ride time charge which is absolutely ridiculous considering they did not reduce per km charge (Uber also has ride time charge but their per km charge is lower to compensate that so overall its still reasonable as long as you don't get surge charged). I even posted one of my Uber bill details and compared them to Ola to show them how much they are expensive thanks to the ride time charges.
As seen from your example, their customer service is also going downhill (not that it was great earlier). As you rightly said - they are set out to kill the golden goose.

[blue_pulsar]

Through the grapevine, am hearing that Ola is asking drivers to pay them back a part of their profits. Earlier, Ola used to pay the drivers something. So, it is not only the customers, Ola is squeezing money from the drivers as well. End of 'achche din', looks like.

[rajivr1612]

Originally Posted by cpbopanna

A bunch of swindlers, to say the least.
What started off as an excellent service is getting taken over by greed, the typical Indian way of killing the golden goose!

On top of that nowadays I have noticed that it is not possible to use the "ride later" option for ola mini. We have to select sedan and above. But this option is still available in meru.

[alpha1]

Why is that TaxiForSure confirms your taxi booking and driver available only 15 minutes prior to the journey time?
Are they nuts?
In my case, they sent a message that they are unable to send the taxi, how do they expect me to find another taxi in such short duration?

Can anyone confirm that the same is that case in other cities too?

[balajisv]

Originally Posted by alpha1

Why is that TaxiForSure confirms your taxi booking and driver available only 15 minutes prior to the journey time?
Are they nuts?
In my case, they sent a message that they are unable to send the taxi, how do they expect me to find another taxi in such short duration?

Can anyone confirm that the same is that case in other cities too?

I did go through this horror as well in Bangalore!

I had booked a '8 hour 80 kms' cab, a full day in advance. As usual, got a SMS confirmation that driver details will be shared 15 mins prior to pickup time.

To my shock, at the pickup time, I get a SMS mentioning that my booking is canceled and they are assigning another cab. I speak to this new cab driver and he says he will just provide a drop to the location and will not provide 8 hours service. I got wild and called the customer care. The executive says "Sorry Sir, No drivers are agreeing for 8 hours and 80 kms" booking. I can arrange a drop and then a pickup from that location."

I make a booking a full day in advance to address my aged parent's travel needs and I head to my office, relying on their service. And TaxiforSure gives me a shock at the nth minute! How un-fair to leave a customer at such a situation?

If they don't honor a booking and provide their own listed service, why do they operate?

[JD1]

Originally Posted by balajisv

I did go through this horror as well in Bangalore!

I had booked a '8 hour 80 kms' cab, a full day in advance.

I almost escaped from this horror. When I wanted 8 hr/80 kms cab for my parents, instead of booking via app, I called them. Fortunately for me they said they will check with drivers and call me back. They called me back and said they cannot confirm any drivers so I had time to arrange alternate cab. Later one day when I was talking to a TFS driver, he said that no driver wants to take up 8 hr assignment because they get more money (via more trips and incentives) in those 8 hrs doing multiple short trips instead of taking a long single assignment.

I have had instances with TaxiforSure (more than other cab companies) about drivers not showing up on advance booked confirmed rides (and these are rides where I have got driver/cab assigned). Fortunately all these instances they assigned an alternate driver - the downside is I had to wait longer. However, I also faced situations where 15-30 minutes before the ride they messaging me that my trip is not confirmed and driver/cab cannot be assigned so I had to look for another cab. Helpdesk was of no help in such situations. The difference between these 2 situations was in the first case driver/cab was assigned (and they were able to help with replacement) and the second case no cab was assigned.

[balajisv]

Originally Posted by JD1

Later one day when I was talking to a TFS driver, he said that no driver wants to take up 8 hr assignment because they get more money (via more trips and incentives) in those 8 hrs doing multiple short trips instead of taking a long single assignment.

Exactly! So, why have a service that cannot be delivered? TaxiforSure should remove the (8hr/4hr) option from their list of services.

[PGNarain]

Originally Posted by alpha1

Why is that TaxiForSure confirms your taxi booking and driver available only 15 minutes prior to the journey time?
Are they nuts?

In addition to all that has already been explained, let me add my 2 cents. When you make a booking with TFS (and Uber, Ola, etc) the booking is saved and as the Trip Time approaches, your booking details will start to appear on their drivers' / fleet's mobile phones and it is entirely upto them to accept or not to accept the booking.

Therefore realistically the provider will only be able to confirm a cab once a driver agrees to the fare and then communicate the same to you - which usually happens 30mins - 2 hours before your pick up time!

Originally Posted by balajisv

I did go through this horror as well in Bangalore!

I had booked a '8 hour 80 kms' cab, a full day in advance. As usual, got a SMS confirmation that driver details will be shared 15 mins prior to pickup time.

Originally Posted by JD1

I almost escaped from this horror. When I wanted 8 hr/80 kms cab for my parents,

I have used the 8 hour / 80kms options multiple times but only from Meru Plus and have always been very happy with their service. Only problem has been that the cab drivers arrived 10-20mins late and usually don't know their way about to well. Other than that, Meru Plus has been a very pleasant and VERY useful experience.