‘Kerala Savaari’, the country’s first online taxi service owned by the state government, has started operations. Kerala Savaari can ensure fair and decent service to passengers and fair remuneration to auto taxi workers. This service is started by the Motor Workers Welfare Board under the leadership of the Labor Department. Kerala Savaari will ensure safe travel for public at government approved fares. Kerala Savaari app will be available on Google Play Store by tomorrow afternoon. Kerala Savaari will also be available on the app store very soon.
Unlike other online platforms, there will be no fluctuation in fares on Kerala Savaari. There is a situation where other online taxi companies increase the charges for services up to one and a half times during peak hours. Neither passengers nor workers benefit from it. Kerala Savaari will charge only 8% service charge in addition to the rate set by the government. In other online taxis it is 20 to 30 percent. It has been decided to use the amount received as service charge for the implementation of this scheme and for providing promotional incentives to passengers and drivers.
One of the major issues that arise with online taxi services is that of security. It is a safe and reliable online service for women, children and senior citizens. This consideration has been given importance in app designing and driver registration. A police clearance certificate has been made mandatory for drivers joining the scheme. Proper training is also provided. A panic button system has also been introduced in the app. This button can be pressed in the event of a car accident or in any other sense of danger. One can do it completely privately. If the driver presses the panic button, or if the passenger does the same, the driver will not realise this. By pressing the button, there is an option to select Police, Fire Force and Motor Vehicle Department options. If you are in such a dangerous situation that you cannot select any option, press the button and if you do not select any option, you will be directly connected to the police control room.
It has also been decided to install GPS on vehicles at a subsidised rate. It will be implemented in a phased manner. A 24-hour call center has been prepared for this purpose. A state-of-the-art call center is functioning at the District Office of the Motor Workers Welfare Board. The call center will work in such a way that all service related issues can be resolved immediately. The first phase of the project is being implemented in Thiruvananthapuram city. After evaluating it, it was decided to implement the project in the entire state in a flawless manner.