Start-up company likely to develop auto ride hailing app for TN govt

CHENNAI: A city-based startup company is likely to develop an auto ride-hailing app called TATO on behalf of the state government following the demands made by the auto-rickshaw drivers to take on the private OLA and Uber apps.

On Saturday, a consultation meeting was held between the startup company 'Taxi'na' and the auto-rickshaw drivers union in the presence of the additional transport commissioner at the conference hall of the Tamil Nadu Start-Up and Innovation Mission, EDII Campus, Guindy.

"As per the instruction of the principal secretary, Home (Transport) department, the start-up company Taxi'na has designed an ecosystem for developing an auto ride-hailing app called TATO. The Taxi'na team has given a brief presentation to the principal secretary on October 20," A Shanmuga Sundaram, Transport and Road Safety Commissioner wrote in a communication to the auto unions.

He said that the Home (Transport) secretary instructed that the ecosystem along with the draft design for the app can be explained to all stakeholders like auto drivers and associations to accommodate their suggestions and redesign the app accordingly.

After the consultation meeting, Tamil Nadu Auto Thozhilalar Sammelanam working president S Balasubramanian said they insisted on the government owning the ride-hailing app and its symbol to be incorporated in it. Like the bus transport corporation, the auto app should be a government-owned company, he noted. "We demanded the government to revise the meter fares to a minimum of Rs 50 for the first 1.5 km and Rs 25 per km subsequently, " he said.

He said that they demanded the formation of a committee comprising transport department officials, auto drivers' union and company officials. "We have made it very clear that no commission should be charged by the company from either the drivers or passengers for using the app. They can collect a fee for the charges incurred by them, " he said.