Taxi app records over 5,000 trip cancellations in a month

Thiruvananthapuram: Nearly a month after the launch of the state’s online taxi service app, Kerala Savari, over 5,000 trips were cancelled in the city. Currently, the app is available in the city limits on a pilot basis and the service will be extended to other districts soon.
What makes the issue more complex is that out of the total number of cancellations, 5,141 trips were cancelled by the drivers registered with the app while user-cancelled trips were just 76.
According to an official associated with the project, drivers tend to go for more attractive deals on private apps and cancel the rides. The slew of cancellation could erode the trust of the users, the officials fear.
“The drivers hired by the Kerala Savari tend to pick the best deal out of the multiple services they have access to. The private auto services are charging Rs 55 for a minimum distance with Rs 23.5 being added for every one-and-a-half kilometre, which is more than the standard rate set by the government. This is a problem to be addressed by the transport department,” an official said.
The officials have already taken up measures to tackle this issue. The idea is to hire more drivers who do not use multiple platforms and solely dedicate their services to Kerala Savari. The enrolment process will happen online where the driver has to create a profile and upload his documents. A system to include police clearance checks will also be incorporated.
The drivers on the other hand claim that no effective marketing strategies have been taken up by the government to promote Kerala Savari.
“I have still not received a ride request from the app. People are largely not aware of the app and thus look out for other options,” says Anoop, a registered taxi driver.
TOI had also tried using the app, but it didn’t work out. TOI tried to book an auto ride using the app. Much to the reporter’s disappointment, the app was unable to fetch a ride even after several attempts of refreshing the page and entering the location details for 20 minutes.
The problem either was that there was no adequate number of drivers or drivers nearby were refusing to take up the trip. Whichever it may be, the situation pointed out the various challenges plaguing the app in its initial stage.
Kerala Savari was officially flagged off by chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan on August 17. It encountered certain hiccups and was not accessible for two weeks following the inaugural. The hitches had raised concerns among the drivers who were enrolled for the taxi app.