A ride, a call away

Chennai has a thriving cab culture

March 20, 2015 05:48 pm | Updated April 11, 2015 03:50 pm IST

Chennai, 20-03-2015 : Models getting into a private cab at a star hotel in Chennai. Photo : S_R_Raghunathan

Chennai, 20-03-2015 : Models getting into a private cab at a star hotel in Chennai. Photo : S_R_Raghunathan

Srividya Sriram does not own a car. A year ago she contemplated buying one because, she needed to get to work and back every day. But, she never did. “It was a really good decision,” says Srividya, who now gets chauffeured to work. Sometimes, she turns up in a Ford Fiesta; sometimes, in a Toyota Corolla, other times in a Tata Indigo. There was even a time when she drew up in a Toyota Innova. It’s just part of the new way to traverse Chennai’s streets — in style! And all it takes is tapping the smart phone. Every morning, 15 minutes before she is ready to leave, Srividya flips open her Uber app. She selects her destination, and her booking is done. She receives the driver’s name, his performance rating, the model of the car and its registration number. When a message pops up on her phone a few minutes later, she knows it is her cue to leave the house; the cab is at her doorstep. 

When she’s in a hurry, she can track the location of the cab through the app. If she is concerned about safety, she can let someone track her ride. Should she ever need to split the cost of the ride with someone, she can do that too through the app. The age of the smartphone offers many comforts and now, one among them, is transportation services, on-demand. Over the last year, many popular cab companies have set up shop in Chennai, almost replacing call-taxi services that often came with a long waiting time, jammed phone lines and expensive package deals. “There was a misconception that anyone who wanted to hire a car, was planning ahead for it,” says Santhosh Sarangan, general manager, Uber Chennai. Now, with the influx of such services, there are enough cabs on Chennai’s streets that a ride is, on average, just 15 minutes away. 

“The Chennai market is very different because call taxis have been around for a while, and there is the existing auto culture; what was lacking was an approach to convenient transportation,” says Anand Subramanian, director, marketing communication, Ola, India. A year-and-a-half ago, Ola started operations with 150 cabs in Chennai. Now, they have grown to 7,000 and additionally, have 10,000 autos too. “We have introduced multiple service categories at varying price points,” says Anand, and adds that the same customer chooses a different category of cabs for different occasions. For example, a hatchback may be sufficient when going to a friend’s house, but for a business meeting, one could drive up in a sedan. Abdul Khader, an auto driver for 12 years, who has been using Ola as a booking service for three months, says the change is obvious: with more and more people migrating to the app, finding customers on the road is becoming difficult. The app provides him a steady stream of customers, which gives him an incentive to drive by the meter. “No tension for you; no tension for us,” he says happily, adding that he nets Rs. 600 each day. 

“Chennai is one of the most developed markets in the radio-cab space,” says Rathin Lahiri, chief marketing officer, Meru cabs, India. “In new cities, we find that people initially use a cab for official purposes. They then use it for personal reasons and ultimately substitute it for their own car. In Chennai, we are reaching that inflection point.”

George Alexander, who works as a financial advisor, is one of them, having sold his Skoda eight months ago to use taxi services fulltime. “Using that time to relax, read, or return phone calls gives value for money. You don’t own a depreciating asset; you just pay for what you use. And that makes economic sense,” says Santhosh. 

None of the vehicles that operate on Uber or Ola are company owned; they only use it as a booking service. “99 per cent of Uber drivers own the car and the other one per cent has a relative who owns the car they drive,” explains Santhosh. Drivers, who are now entrepreneurs too, are trained to use GPS technology and their backgrounds are checked to ensure safety. They are encouraged to invest in the maintenance of the car to maximise income; so it isn’t uncommon to find a newspaper, magazine, tissue box or bottle of water waiting for a customer in the cab.

As the service becomes reliable and affordable, it now has more takers.  “Earlier, only the rich hailed cabs. Now, a larger section of the population are using it,” says 31-year-old M. Sulthan who has been driving for Ola for eight months. On an average, a cab driver makes about Rs. 2,000 a day and has the flexibility to choose when to clock out from work. While some drive till the wee hours of the morning, others like to wrap up earlier. IT professionals, second-show regulars, late-night diners, pub-goers and club-hoppers give enough reason to keep cabs darting across the city late into the night. 

Nishitha Menon, 25, uses cabs often to get home past midnight. Safety, she says, is still a concern, and she usually pretends to talk on the phone just to let the driver know that someone is expecting her. Yet, she feels it’s a safe way to move around. “At the end of the day, it’s more about individual drivers, even though they are trained by the company,” says chartered accountant Vishesh Unni who prefers to take a cab to work. The stream of complaints against cab companies don’t cease, though. Even if apps provide the approximate time of arrival, it doesn’t reflect possible delays due to traffic. Or, if the driver is not well-versed with routes, the customer pays for the extra distance. Sometimes, the vehicle isn’t in good condition, the driver cancels after you’ve booked, or, well, just about anything could happen. “However, drivers are invariably polite. I’ve got to give them that,” says Vishesh, and adds, “It’s as simple as tweeting to the cab company to have issues resolved.”

Despite the hiccups, cabs seem to be the preferred choice of transportation for many constantly on the go. “As more and more companies enter the fray, customers will benefit from the fares getting lower,” says Srividya. With ease of use, flexibility and control, hiring a cab definitely amounts to a smooth drive. Highlights

Ola - You can book an Ola Mini, Ola Sedan and Ola Prime through the app or call centre. If you are looking for an immediate ride, the app allows you to find an auto within a minute. Payments can also be made by loading money on to the app to avoid haggling for change.

Uber - You can split the cost of the ride with another Uber user, use the SOS button that will alert the local police and get an estimate of the amount you’ll be charged for the ride. No need to carry cash while taking an Uber; all payments are made through the app. 

Meru - Meru offers outstation booking packages. The service is fairly flexible for those who still have trouble catching up with technology; bookings can be made through the call centre and payments can be made via cash.

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