Amidst the alleged harassment of commuters over high surcharges in app-based cabs service, 'ZustGo', a new cab service with "zero surcharge" was launched here on Thursday.
"We are not bothered about controlling the surcharge as we have decided to go without it. Our foremost concern is the safety of the passengers for which we have made provisions in our App," said Kamaleshwar Singh, its founder and CEO.
There have been large number of complaints from commuters here about the existing main app cab service providers Ola and Uber levying huge surcharge on fares during peak hours, and even in times of natural calamities. The resentment among the public has forced the West Bengal to suggest a cap on surcharge.
The new cab service is in touch with an NGO who are training female drivers who would soon join the team for a safer and comfortable ride of the lady passengers.
About the existing security measures, Singh said: "The App has an inbuilt SOS button, which when pressed can alert five relatives of the traveller through Whatsapp and SMS, nearby Police station and also our office."
Also, there is a plan to install CCTV cameras inside the cars after getting all legal clearances.
"We have planned to come up with 'Go Bike Taxi' by this Durga Puja. This one man taxi can be booked using the same App," said Ranit Kumar Ghosh, Director.
According to Singh, from Kolkata, the company aims to expand to the Tier-2 cities of West Bengal and finally the whole of Eastern India. They are aiming for pan-India expansion by 2022.
Singh said though the Kolkata app cab market is dominated by the two major players, there was room for new rideshare service providers to grow due to low market penetration and high demand.
The cab services provider said it would charge a reasonable price for four different categories - Regular (hatchback cars), Royal (Sedan), Prime (Luxury Sedan) and SUV. But he declined to give out the exact fares
Another Director, Suraj Kumar Sethia said that they are launching their service with more than 3,000 cars but if there is demand, they can have a fleet of almost 20,000 cars.
"Our team is working on a sustainable business model. Even the customer feedback will be of great help," he said.
The Indian rideshare, estimated at around $360 million in 2018, is expected to have a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 20 per cent per annum to reach $761 million by 2022.A The current penetration of rideshare services in India is only 2.5 per cent, Singh added.
--IANS
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