A new company, Palkhi Cabs, is set to enter the cab aggregator market in Maharashtra from May and compete with the likes of Ola and Uber in the city.
Palkhi Cabs will be launching its services on May 7 with 2,000 drivers, including 30 women drivers, operating cabs across nine cities in the State, including Mumbai, Pune, Nashik and Nagpur.
The aggregator will not implement surge pricing and will adhere to the City Taxi Rules, 2017, drafted by the Transport Department. Rides will be offered under three segments — mini, sedan and SUV — at a fixed per kilometre rate of ₹16, ₹18 and ₹20 respectively.
Praful Shinde, the company’s founder, said that they plan to employ 20,000 drivers. Each cab will have two cameras installed: one on the dashboard to record visuals on the street, and one at the back. Mr. Shinde said passengers would have the controls to the back camera.
Mr. Shinde said tourism services would also be provided. “We have held meetings with the Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation [MTDC] to train our drivers to double up as tour guides,” Mr. Shinde said.
He said 50 drivers are now undergoing training in foreign languages such as French and German. Mr. Shinde said that the company’s tour packages would include accommodation at MTDC hotels and resorts.
The firm’s app will have a listings portal with suggestions to amenities in the vicinity of the destination.