[TusharK]

Rapido, the 2-wheeler and 3-wheeler ride-hailing platform is all set to launch its cab service to compete with brands like Ola and Uber.



According to a media report, Rapido has been operating its cab service in Hyderabad over the last few months on a pilot basis. The program, which is in an advanced test stage, has received a positive response till now.

"At Rapido, we're thrilled to share that our test run in Hyderabad for Rapido Cabs is off to a fantastic start. The city's vibrant market has warmly embraced us, and the positive response is truly heartening. As we navigate our path forward, we are committed to keeping you closely informed about our progress and eagerly anticipate bringing our innovative services to other cities," the company said in a statement.

Rapido was founded in 2015 and has been offering bike taxi services in over 100 cities in India. The company recently expanded into the 3-wheeler segment.

Source: Tech Crunch

Link to Team-BHP News

[Voodooblaster]

Ola / Uber duopoly needs a challenge

Hopefully Rapido will be take lessons from the pain points of Uber and Ola to become more Customer friendly and most importantly driver friendly

Simple things:

*Rapido doesn’t have to take commissions in the 20 to 30% range (this is what Uber / Ola take - link ) The same values have been shared by many Uber/Ola drivers I interacted with. Settle for 2.5% with a minimum cut of say Rs 25

Advantage: Trend of Driver cancelling trip , asking rider to cancel trip in app, but dropping passenger for same or even discounted fare will stop. Plugs revenue holes for aggregator and enhances safety for customer

* Fair pricing for drivers - Use fare decided by respective State Govt. Add a fuel surcharge to account for hike in fuel price depend on fuel of vehicle (petrol/CNG). Eg: Kerala had revised auto / taxi fares from 01 May 2022. Fuel price as on 01 May 22 to be base price. Based on % of hike in fuel price add fuel surcharge (to be done state wise as fuel charges vary from state to state)

* Have a system to verify Insurance/ Fitness/ Permit and driving license validity before allowing driver to accept a ride.

* Have saner surge pricing , with caps at 2x fare in peak hours and 3x at ungodly hours, especially if drop point is at locations where return trips to drivers home / preferred area of operation (Railway Station/ malls / Airports ) are not generally not available even after a reasonable amount of waiting. (Aggregator will have to crunch figures based on accumulated trip data)

* Operate ethically and not like what Uber did internationally - link and link. Even in India ride aggregators have managed to convince GOI that 20% commissions are necessary - link

[xcentrk]

Originally Posted by Voodooblaster

Ola / Uber duopoly needs a challenge

Hopefully Rapido will be take lessons from the pain points of Uber and Ola to become more Customer friendly and most importantly driver friendly

Simple things:

*Rapido doesn’t have to take commissions in the 20 to 30% range (this is what Uber / Ola take - link ) The same values have been shared by many Uber/Ola drivers I interacted with. Settle for 2.5% with a minimum cut of say Rs 25

Advantage: Trend of Driver cancelling trip , asking rider to cancel trip in app, but dropping passenger for same or even discounted fare will stop. Plugs revenue holes for aggregator and enhances safety for customer

I work for one of new taxi app in Chennai and I'd say drivers are happy with even 5% commission and during one of the meetings with drivers, they mentioned up to 10% is fine and nothing more than that. But our company decided to keep commission at 5%.

Originally Posted by Voodooblaster

* Fair pricing for drivers - Use fare decided by respective State Govt. Add a fuel surcharge to account for hike in fuel price depend on fuel of vehicle (petrol/CNG). Eg: Kerala had revised auto / taxi fares from 01 May 2022. Fuel price as on 01 May 22 to be base price. Based on % of hike in fuel price add fuel surcharge (to be done state wise as fuel charges vary from state to state)

Good point. Also, surge pricing is the culprit in all cases. I understand a 0.5x to 2x but 10x and above is usual in cities with Uber & Ola.

[thanixravindran]

Originally Posted by xcentrk

I work for one of new taxi app in Chennai and I'd say drivers are happy with even 5% commission and during one of the meetings with drivers, they mentioned up to 10% is fine and nothing more than that. But our company decided to keep commission at 5%.
.

Ola and Uber has started booking or platform fee from users. I heard from drivers that they are planning a login fee as well from drivers to use the platform itself. Not sure how much true it is. I used Rapido heavily in Hyderabad for 2W rides last year. It is not great and the same problem of Auto and cab cancellation. So it is no different to Uber and Ola and hence I don't expect any change in the App taxi scenario.

Now all I want is less cancellation as they see the drop location and money upfront but still they accept and cancel with or without interview. If a driver accepts a ride, I am perfectly okay to pay for the distance he covers empty to reach my doorstep at per km rate. In this case, I hope there is a setting on the perimeter limit you want the app to search and connect a driver to end user. Hope you can consider this for your app.

Anyway, please let us know the app if it is publicly available beyond Beta. You don't have to promote it which is against forum rules. Or you can DM me if you are okay as I would like to try it out

[Voodooblaster]

Originally Posted by thanixravindran

Ola and Uber has started booking or platform fee from users. I heard from drivers that they are planning a login fee as well from drivers to use the platform itself.

Seems someone in Rapido read this thread and has introduced cab service, zero commission from drivers - link

Originally Posted by thanixravindran

Or you can DM me if you are okay as I would like to try it out

Count me in