M-Taxi, Two-Wheeler Taxi Service Will be Started In Gurgaon on 1 December

Category: Business

Here's good news for those who end up wasting hours in traffic jams every day and long for an alternative to autos. Bike taxis will hit Gurgaon's roads on December 1, which will not only offer cheaper but also faster mobility in the city. The two-wheeler service, a concept that has already created a buzz in cities like Hanoi, Bangkok, London, Sao Paulo and Goa, will be launched from Huda City Centre Metro station, where anyone can hop on and hop off and pay for the journey. M-taxi, an on-demand two-wheeler taxi service now has a permit which allows two-wheeler taxis to ferry passengers, and will be launching its operations in at the HUDA City Centre Metro Station in Gurgaon on Tuesday, the company said. "The Haryana government has given approvals for two wheelers to work on contract carriage, under contract carriage to two bike-taxi startups," said Arunabh Madhur, Founder and CEO of M-Taxi, Another two-wheeler taxi service, Baxi also got permission from the Haryana government to start its operations. M-Taxi's pricing starts at Rs. 25 for the first three kilometres, and Rs. 5 for every subsequent kilometre. The company anticipates a ticket size of averaging between Rs. 25 to 60, for a distance of about three to ten kilometres. Users will be soon be able to avail bike taxis using M-Taxi's apps, which will be launched on iOS, Android, and Windows Phone To start with, 10 100cc bikes will be introduced in the city, which will be driven by trained bikers. All the bikes will have commercial registration numbers and will bear yellow number plates. MTaxi has already got all the necessary approvals from the district transport department, traffic police and state transport authority. "Bike taxis are a successful model in countries like Indonesia and Vietnam. We have very carefully studied the feasibility before hitting the road," Madhur, founder and CEO of M-Taxi, told TOI on Tuesday. Though the service will initially start as a hailing taxi service, they will soon launch an app for an on-demand bike taxi model as well, he added. On the fare structure, Madhur said they are looking at trips ranging from 3-10 km and the target segment is the bottom of the pyramid population. On safety concerns, the issue of comfort for women and increased risk for commuters on two-wheelers he said all the bikers will carry an extra helmet for the pillion rider for ensuring safety. To take care of the hygiene, there will be a disposable cap and wet tissues. "Further to the basic safety measures, we have carved out a special insurance package, which not only covers our riders but also our passengers while they are commuting with us," he said. The M-Taxi founder also said they will soon have women riders for which they have tied up with a manpower agency and for the elderly, they plan to launch scooterettes as they are more comfortable and are considered safer. Gurgaon is the first city in India which has a legalised taxi system today, Madhur said, adding that bike taxis are better equipped to deal with congestion, traffic, and last mile connectivity, three large problems cities are struggling to cope with. "India is the largest manufacturer and consumer of two-wheelers. This service was much required. It exists in our neighbouring countries, similar cultures across Thailand, Indonesia, and China," he said. The M-Taxi fleet uses motorcycles at launch. Down the line, the startup plans to add women pilots on scooters to cater to women passengers. Once it gets the regulatory approval, M-Taxi plans to move to Delhi NCR and another city in a few months time. The company plans to shift from an inventory model to a marketplace model where where people can avail of earning opportunities on its platform, Madhur said. Launched in February 2015, the company announced last week that it had secured an undisclosed sum from angel investors Mandeep Singh and Jairaj Singh.