If you claim to have never been stuck in the rush hour traffic, you probably aren't from Mumbai; so then this isn't for you. But for those of you who've travelled the roads of hell and back, here's a little relief in form of a mobile service.
SmartMumbaikar works around the concept of carpooling, bringing fellow commuters just a miss call away. It allows users to reach out to each other and share vehicles to common destination.
How does it work?
Co-founder Raxit Seth explains how it works, “SmartMumbaikar lets users to instantly share an auto, taxi, car or even a bike with other verified users with just a missed call.”
Echoing the daily woes of any average commuter, he elaborates, “To get an auto or taxi during office hours is not easy. And even if you do secure a vehicle, more often than not, you get stuck in a traffic jam, that can cost you fuel and increased fare.”
By simply registering on their official site, a commuter can become part of a verified clique of city travellers and can reach out to other city commuters on their route. “You just have to fill a one time sign-up form with your office email, mobile number, home and office location, gender preference,” he explains. “And then whenever you need to travel between those pre-specified location, simply give a missed call on 08030636343 five minutes before you need to travel and an SMS will be sent to you with available travellers on your route.”
The service charges are nominal; Rs. 10 per trip i.e. monthly plan Rs. 400/month. “As a special offer for our first 10,000 sign-up between December 2 to December 6, we will be providing a free one month trial.”
How it is different from traditional carpool?
“This allows you to connect not just with car-owner but also those travelling by auto, taxi or bike,” answers Seth. “Also, it allows you to have flexible timings without inconveniencing fellow travellers,” he adds.
The service obviously needs a substantial database of users to be effective. So, the user response has been evidence of the efficacy of the service. “Within three weeks of launch, we are already among India's top 50,000 most visited website.
This popular demand has prompted the developers to start work on a Mobile app, as well. They are also working on apps for fare calculation and real-time traffic alert.
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