There was a time when Meru and other call cab companies ruled the travel market. People were content with the way all these players provided AC ride right at their doorstep. All a person had to do was to remember those funky call center numbers and call them up whenever they felt the need to travel. Things were smooth as ever and the comfort of getting a cab with just one call was the talk of the day.
But as it prevails in business, you can’t be doing the same thing forever. Ola made the best use of this situation and introduced aggregation model. It seemed a better model than owning the vehicles and employing drivers on salary basis. It wasn’t a disruptor until it introduced their ultimate arsenal, the app. The heavy discounts and irresistible incentive schemes for the drivers just catapulted Ola to the top of the market. People were excited, drivers made huge fortunes and traveling in an AC cab was more than a necessity anymore.
Thanks to the deep pockets of OLA and UBER, people now don’t hesitate to book an AC ride. Both the drivers and customers are used to booking through apps and the days of calling the call center are gone. Beneath this revolution and the incredible success of these players, there lies a question that can’t be ignored and that is, what next?
It is only after the market has reached the inflection point that something new evolves for better. This is proved by a budding new start-up called Cabby cabs.
Based in Mumbai and having started pilot operations in Pune recently, they have quite the model of the future. Keeping the present market scenario in mind they have started something of a revolution in the shadows. They shout ‘peer to peer ride sharing’ in all their campaigns on social media. With thousands of likes on Facebook already and a long term vision they are trying to create a market that’s still in the nascent stage. It is not that they are the first in this domain, but it is their deep understanding of the market and unique features that makes them distinct.
“We tend to focus on being remarkable. We are very tiny and have successfully completed 3 months of beta operations in Pune and Mumbai.” Says co-founder Anuraag Bhaskarbhatta, he adds, “It is time people embrace peer to peer ride sharing where the customers get the cheapest ride in the market and the ride givers(those offering rides) make an extra buck and save fuel cost. We don’t need more taxis on the road, what we really need is to share rides.”
Their model is quite simple, a customer who wishes to travel cheap (not cheapo) can choose to ride with someone who is offering a ride in his personal vehicle. “We wish to be dominant in the personal vehicle domain” adds Sharad Sharma, Co-founder. It is true that ride sharing was a concept long ignored by many, and all efforts have been in vain in the carpooling domain. “Carpooling can’t really work in this country due to many reasons. The common issue that people face is the hassle of waiting for another customer. This is the very reason we have limited to one booking at a time so that both the giver and seeker are happy. The best thing is that there is no scheduling, we are completely real time and location based.” Read more about Cabby Cabs.
They believe to be available for everyone unlike their competitors which focus only on corporate. “We have our own verification process and don’t believe that corporate email id is any better parameter of security” responds Anuraag, “We pitched to one or two car owners and now their friends are also giving rides on way to work. Even the customers are enjoying the cheap rides. The right funding would help us scale up faster and expand to new cities.”
It is good news for all as with this platform anyone can offer a ride to anyone. Obviously there lies the ambiguous Motor vehicle act, “It is quite ambiguous in nature and we can assure there is no profit making, it is just that the ride giver saves fuel cost,” the founders retort.
Currently they have two apps; Cabby (for ride seekers) and Cabby Connekt (for ride givers). Things seem quite promising for a budding company but it is only with funding that they will be able to achieve what they envision. If Cabby succeeds in achieving that distinction it boasts of, only time will tell. Read more Startup News.
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