Auto rickshaw drivers in Thiruvananthapuram can now be rated after a ride, the way private cab services are. The city Corporation is launching a project called ‘Hey Auto’ for the purpose. In a Facebook post, Corporation Mayor K Sreekumar announced that the project will be launched to not only provide a safe ride for the city residents but also to ensure the welfare of auto rickshaw drivers.
The project will be launched on February 19 at 12 pm at the main office of Thiruvananthapuram Corporation. In the project, auto drivers can be rated through points for the service they provide. The Hey Auto app can be downloaded from Google Playstore. The app uses the unique ID card given to each driver to read the bar code and QR code and rate them.
The drivers should bring their driving license, a copy of the license and a copy of the auto rickshaw permit card to the Corporation office by 12 pm on February 19, to get the unique ID cards. These cards will have to be displayed in the auto so it is visible to the passengers.
The passengers can also make a complaint using the app. The Corporation will tie up with the city traffic police to resolve the complaints.
The auto rickshaw drivers offering the best services will be awarded by the Corporation.
“We welcome this initiative by the Corporation,” says Pattom Sasi, general secretary of All India Trade Union Congress, Thiruvananthapuram.
It is high time that such government-owned systems come into place, says TC Subrahmanyan, state President of Kerala Samsthana Motor Thozhilali Union. “We should move with the times. But such systems should also serve the interests of the auto rickshaw drivers,” he adds.