- Plans to on-board 50,000+ autos in Bengaluru by this year-end and aims to encourage women to join the Rapido Auto Captain fleet
- Available in 26 cities in India with over 1.5 lakh autos
- Served 2 million customers since the launch
Rapido has completed one year since the Auto services were launched last year and has received an overwhelming response across 25 cities. The auto service was initially launched in 14 key Indian cities across 10 states in October 2020 and was extended further to 11 cities following high demand coming in from key cities like Delhi, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Chennai, Jaipur and more. So far, Rapido has boarded 1.5 lakh autos across the country and has served 2 million customers since launch. It plans to add 5 lakh autos across the country by the end of this year.
On the launch in Bengaluru, Shravya Reddy, VP, Rapido, said, “We are excited to bring Rapido Auto to Bengaluru after receiving a tremendous response across the country. Since the onset of COVID-19, autos have emerged as the preferred mode of commute in addition to bike taxis. Auto service is highly penetrated but very scattered. There’s high offline competition and with low demand, auto drivers tend to charge high street premiums. Customers tend to shift to other modes of commute because of uncertainties. We are aiming to strike a balance between demand and supply - bringing in more reliability and convenience for both Captains and customers.”
There are close to 2.5 million people who commute every day in Bangalore. Ridesharing through taxis, autos, bikes has been able to cater to hardly 10% of them so far. There is a huge potential for growth as people are moving away from public transport in the wake of COVID-19.
Rapido aims to cater to all commuters who are looking for a safe and affordable commute option and plans to increase their market share in this segment in the coming months. Rapido Auto service will be available at the meter price, following the state-defined rate card (minimum fare for the first 1.9 km is Rs 25 and Rs 13 for every additional km). Each Rapido Auto will have GPS technology to ensure easy access. Further, Rapido Auto users will be able to track and share their rides in real-time. Users can also provide feedback within the app.
Rapido has been at the forefront of providing safe and secure rides and has taken numerous initiatives to ensure sanitation and hygiene. Rapido Auto Captains are to sanitise the seat post every ride. Both Captain and customers have to wear a face mask at all times during the ride. The company also introduced new policy support where the company provides free cancellation if Captains or customers are without a mask.
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