Auto drivers say hello to app-based taxi firms like Ola, Uber

BENGALURU: For several years, K Venkatesh, a 44-year-old auto driver, lived in a tiny house in west Bengaluru along with his family of six members. But, of late, he has begun to lead a better life after he moved into a bigger rented house. And this was possible because he progressed from rented auto to driving a cab.
His son has joined a reputed college and another son, who had planned to abandon studies for want of funds, is pursuing a business management course.

If riding auto earned him an income that barely met his monthly household expenses, driving a cab service, offered by a taxi-hailing app firm, is leaving him with a decent surplus at the end of the month. As his mobile keeps ringing, thanks to the taxi-hailing app, has monthly income has ballooned to as much as four times from about Rs 15,000 earlier.

"Auto is a difficult business where we wait for passengers after every trip. But when it comes to the kind of cab service that we offer, passengers are readily available, often waiting for us," he said. His daily income, he said, now stood at about `2,000 a day , besides a cash incentive of Rs 1,000 from the taxi-app firm for every 14 trips. "Now many of my friends want to quit auto and join the cab service," he added.

"We have to change with the times," said M Manjunath, president of Adarsha Auto Drivers' Union, endorsing the decision of his fellow auto drivers, many of whom are embracing the shift. As the fare difference between autos and taxis is thinning, and if the same trend continues, there may soon be a day when autos may not find many customers.

"If companies like Uber, TaxiforSure, Ola etc., are providing us good business and ensuring a healthy income, what is the problem in moving away from autos," said S Jayaram, president of Bengaluru City Auto Drivers Unit. There are about 1.25 lakh autos and about 80,000 city taxis and cabs playing on city roads. Earlier, there were demands from auto unions to issue fresh auto permits as the city has grown. But those demands have subsided.

Soon, cabs may out-number autos on city roads. "We provide flexible working hours, an unrivalled earning potential, high asset utilisation and safe and high quality services," said Uber spokesperson Karun Arya. His firm, he added, has partnered with top lending companies like Shriram Finance, AU Financiers and Toyota Financial Services and has created vehicle financing schemes with down payments of as low as of Rs 60,000 and competitive rates.