A group of techies based at the Startup Village in Kochi have developed VehicleST.com, an online platform connecting users with various travel and transport service providers.
The platform has been created by a company formed by Alvin George, Binu Jacob, Sadeesh P.V. and Naveendev Madhavan. The team has also created a mobile application for the same. “As opposed to taxi service providers such as Ola and Uber, we serve as a facilitator connecting users with drivers of autorickshaws or taxis, who operate nearest to the location of the user. We ensure that the passengers get an opportunity to travel as per the fares fixed by the government or even negotiate with the drivers. We have included the contact details of nearly 1,300 drivers in our database so far,” Mr. George says.
They say they are in talks with various government agencies for obtaining support for the initiative. Discussions are under way with Akshaya project for building the database of service providers. Kudumbasree has agreed to link its Kudumbasree Travels with the platform.
“Woman users will be provided only women-friendly autorickshaws or women-driven taxis to ensure safety,” says Mr. Madhavan.
Details of tyre repair shops, automotive workshops and service centres are included. Users can also seek services of ambulances, fire and rescue services and police through the application.
The platform is mainly for services in Thiruvananthapuram, Ernakulam and Thrissur. Besides seeking services of heavy machinery such as earth movers, concrete mixers, combine harvesters and cranes, enquiries for houseboat services in the Vembanad lake can also be made.
The application for Android mobile devices is currently available on Google Play Store. Facility for iOS and Windows will soon be launched, the developers say.
