Startup india someone should do - Company owned cabs app
Social media is absolutely flooded with complaints about Ola, Uber, and Rapido. The aggregator model might give drivers freedom and ownership, but for customers, the system has completely fallen apart.
Here is what a typical ride hailing experience looks like today:
* Drivers accepting your booking and then forcing you to cancel the ride.
* Arriving at the location only to demand extra cash above the shown app fare.
* Flat out refusing to turn on the AC to save fuel.
* Cars that are incredibly unhygienic, smelly, and poorly maintained.
* Almost zero chance of getting a ride accepted for short distances.
* Absolutely no accountability from the drivers.
* Forced offline trips where they ask you to cancel on the app and pay them directly via UPI to avoid commissions.
* Unprofessional behavior and reckless driving with zero fear of being penalized by the platform.
I lived in the UAE for two years, and the cab experience there was flawlessly smooth. The reason it works so well is that all the cabs are owned by companies, and the drivers are salaried employees.
Recently, I visited Coimbatore and experienced the stark difference firsthand. I booked an Uber from the airport to my hotel. The driver immediately demanded extra fare, leading to a 10 minute argument right at the start of my trip. On top of that, the AC was not working. It was a genuinely miserable welcome to the city.
I asked for advice on Reddit, and locals suggested I use Red Taxi instead. For the rest of my trip, I exclusively used them, and it was a night and day difference. The AC worked perfectly, the drivers were polite and in proper uniforms, and nobody asked for a single extra rupee.
As a founder constantly analyzing business operations and market gaps, my conclusion is clear. The Ola and Uber model is inherently hostile to the customer. When a company actually owns the fleet and employs the drivers, real quality control exists.
India desperately needs a nationwide, company owned cab app. This is a brilliant Startup India opportunity just waiting for someone to take it up.