25 March,2017 12:45 PM IST | | Shashank Rao
Drivers launch their app Baxi on Playstore; with numerous glitches to take care of and drivers yet to join, it can't be used yet to book rides
For the last three years or so the two Goliaths - app-based aggregators Uber and Ola - have been having a cutthroat fight. Now, David (the drivers) has become their competitors. The cabbies, who had been driving for these two aggregators, started their own app called Baxi on March 23.
The app with a yellow interface is for users and the red one is for drivers; it is available on Google Playstore.
On March 11, mid-day had reported 'Agitated drivers building their own app to counter Uber, OLA'.
The app for users has a caricature of man wearing a helmet. When mid-day downloaded it, there were no vehicles or taxis seen on the screen. It shows the map of Mumbai, similar to Google Maps, and a bubble spots the approximate location of a user. There is a small button with the image of a 'car' and below it the words 'Book Ride'.
Sources said this app was earlier meant only for bike-sharing, but the option of car was added later. There is an option of rate card, which, when clicked, doesn't open and stops the app. It shows base fare, minimum fare, per kilometre charge and per minute charge. There's also an e-wallet option, Baxi Buddy.
There is another option of token ride, where a user has to give a missed call on 9243000044. It will generate a token number that needs to be shared with the driver and, at end of the ride, the user will get another token number for the next ride. There will be no fines for cancellation of a ride.
The app works on a schedule though - 7 am to 10 pm, seven days a week. "At present, there aren't enough drivers, and so, there are some restrictions," said a union member.
Praful Shinde, member, Action Committee of Maharashtra, who started the app, said, "We have started it; now, gradually, drivers will join."
The Maharashtra City Taxi Rules, 2017, allows new companies to be introduced under the App-Based City Taxi Permit.
There are a few glitches while using this app, such as the time it takes to start and the time it takes one to exit from it. No SOS button was seen, which was earlier promised by the union.
One of the main reasons the drivers started the app was because their incomes allegedly dropped from an average of Rs 70,000 to Rs 30,000 or even less. They also said that the aggregators were levying additional charges.
