Execution Day

It’s nothing short of road kill, Mumbai’s new dial-a-rickshaw service that seems hell bent on taking a good idea to the morgue. Dubbed Rickshawale, this facility is what Meru is to cabs (or like Ay Auto we wrote about in Pune), a 24/7 number that allows you to book autos that arrive at your doorstep. The advantages, their website will tell you, are many - verified fleet of drivers, same meter fare, no driver refusal, night time pickups.

A friend introduced us to Rickshawale, and like many other Mumbaikars, we were glad to meter. But a Wednesday night call to book an auto for the following morning showed signs of chaos, a teaser to the inconvenience that would ensue. To begin with, the call center was noisy (we’re pretty sure we even heard a crying kid back there) and the gentleman who answered asked for the pick-up address way too many times. The worst part: He seemed to be scribbling it on a piece of paper. No vital information regarding the rickshaw service was volunteered; only when we asked did the Rs 20 convenience charge over and above the meter fare come up. This proves to be quite expensive if you’re travelling a short distance, a friend remarked, commenting that a higher minimum fare would make more sense.  We were supposed to receive an SMS within ten minutes of booking a rickshaw , but no such text came.

Road Rage

Same story the next morning. It wasn’t before we placed five calls prior to pick-up did we realise that like the elusive text, the auto wasn’t coming either. Apparently, this Scouter‘s address wasn’t registered in their system at all (which only strengthens our scribbling on paper theory). Adding to the frustration were the badly trained centre employees who did nothing to try and right this wrong. Hours later, an apologetic owner attributed it all to teething problems.

We even called several times last night to try and give them another shot, but the 24/7 hot line rang unanswered. When all (most) people need to do to get a rickshaw is cross the street, a service that does it for you needs to be simple and efficient. In a time when constantly pouting rickshawwallahs hold the city to ransom every couple of months, this service would be a serious boon. Now if only they could get this thing on the road.

Getting there: Call Rickshawale on 25747474 or visit www.rickshawale.com, Rs 11 minimum fare plus Rs 20 convenience charge.