Our instinct, when we hear of a new app or a service portal, is an expression of boredom. Don’t we have an information overload already? But there are several gaps waiting to be plugged, and companies looking to provide technology-based solutions, are trying to do just that.
Hyderabad-based start-up Ya3 (punning on yatri or traveller) promises to be a single-point information source for travellers. Founded by Santosh Achari and Srinivasan Rangarajalu, and backed by legal counsel Anand Kumar, Ya3, like many start-ups, was triggered by personal experiences.
Getting here
His first trip to Thailand taught Achari several lessons. He opted for a visa on arrival, and on landing, learnt that he had to pay by cash. There was no ATM before security check.
At the information desk, the executive couldn’t speak English. He did a quick Google search, and in a user forum, found that another traveller who had faced a similar plight had approached the security in-charge and was then escorted to another section where he could use an ATM. Santosh recalls several other vital information gaps, due to which his trip was less fun than it could have been.
Rangarajalu, a globetrotter, lists issues one could face in different airports.
“A simple detail, like availability of a free shuttle between the domestic and international terminals of Mumbai airport, which are five kilometres apart, is overlooked by many travellers, who end up hiring a cab and paying a few hundreds,” he says.
Specific food requirements, shower rooms and a lounge facility are some of the other details explained. “If you’re a chef and don’t know if you can carry chef knives, we can help. Or if you have a drone camera, we can tell you about the dos and don’ts in different airports and across airlines,” says Achari.
Personalisation is key
Ya3 will answer queries related to visa, transit from the airport through shuttles, metro trains, hiring cabs at nominal rates and documents required in different countries. The company gathers relevant information from airport and airline websites and social network platforms to keep travellers informed. For instance, is there a brewing political unrest in the destination country, or how to be prepared for situations like demonetisation.
Achari was earlier consulted by another start-up which was considering a dating platform for airport users. “I felt travellers had other priorities. You’d be either looking for mobile/laptop charging points or wondering where to take a quick nap,” he says. Once operational, Ya3 hopes to tap the strong traveller base in airports in the US, UK and Europe apart from India and other Asian countries.
Troubleshooting
* In a three-step process, Ya3 aims to make travelling smoother. A user has to sign in with an email id and share flight booking details. The user can also mention if he or she is a business traveller, going on a family vacation or is a backpacker.
* The team provides information, such as availability of changing/feeding rooms and where to find baby food at the airport, if an infant is also travelling. They also have information on wheelchair availability, whether one needs to pay for it and the mode of payment.
* The service will be free of charge for users.
* Now in its beta stage, Ya3.co will soon be operational as a web portal and mobile application. In the long run, they plan to have information kiosks in airports.
