Kolkata is all set to get a new mobile app, TYGR, on Poila Baishakh (Bengali New Year) for riders using conventional yellow taxis.

“We are soft launching the TYGR app on April 15 and have already roped in 1,000 conventional yellow taxis, some of which also have AC facility, as members through our Kolkata franchisee,” Savetur CEO Aditya Poddar said on Friday.

Savetur, a technology start-up, focuses on building mobile-first B2B and then B2C marketplace products, and owns the TYGR app.

Poddar said all 1,000 taxis may take some time to log onto the system, but the number of taxis will grow along with the riders.

Nil convenience fee

“Riders will pay government regulated meter fare and nothing more. There is no convenience fee,” he said.

The Savetur CEO said there are some 14,000 conventional taxis and another about 30,000 vehicles running under app-based cab aggregators such as Uber and Ola in the city.

Ola roped in yellow or conventional taxis and according to its norms, a rider has to pay an additional ₹10 over the meter fare.

But the service turned out to be a dampener as customers often complained of frequent declines by drivers.

Explaining the functioning of the app, Poddar said: “We are not aggregators like Ola and Uber. We are offering an application for drivers by which they can log into the system and riders within a two kilometre range will be able to locate them and get connected.

“But, TYGR will not have any control on them on how they operate, how long they stay online or decline requests.”

“With intense competition from app hailing cabs, conventional taxis also require some app-based service to get business for their own survival,” Poddar said.