The first state-government online taxi service in India, the Kerala Savari app is yet to hit app stores, leaving people exasperated.
Published Aug 21, 2022 | 7:47 PM ⚊ Updated Aug 21, 2022 | 7:51 PM
Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan launching Kerala Savari in Thiruvanathapuram. (South First)
It was supposed to be a pioneer: Kerala Savari, the first online taxi service by any state government in India, promised low service charges to customers and better wages to vehicle owners.
However, four days have gone by since its proposed day of launch, ostensibly at the hands of Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, but the app is nowhere to be found online!
The authorities have cited various reasons — ranging from technical glitches to Google’s lengthy validation process — behind this non-starter.
Minister of Labour V Sivankutty, who claims to have come up with the concept, had already set many deadlines to make the app available to the needy public without glitches.
However, it continues to be invisible in Google’s Play Store.
Drivers in Kerala Safari uniform at the inaugural function. (South First)
Residents of Kerala capital Thiruvananthapuram, where the project was to be rolled out in the first phase, seemed tired on Sunday, the fourth consecutive day of attempting in vain to download the Savari app on their mobile phones.
“This morning, I tried twice to download the app. I wished to book a taxi to drop off my sister-in-law at the railway station for her continued journey to Kochi. I saw several apps in the Play Store which were identical to the government’s Savari app. Only after downloading did I realize they had nothing to do with the facility launched by our chief minister four days ago,” said Binu Sabarinath, a resident of Maruthankuzhy in Thiruvananthapuram.
“On the second attempt, when I searched for the Kerala Savari app, the Play Store gave me the option of downloading the Kerala Lottery app. It’s quite ridiculous!” she said.
“Why do these Leftist people — who launched the project with much fanfare, claiming it would give tough competition to online taxi-managing giants Ola and Uber — lack any responsibility to the public?” asked Sanoj Thekkekara, an IT professional who believes the concept was unique and revolutionary in a world where private mobile platforms were exploiting people who attempt to hire taxi vehicles.
“What was the urgency of launching the project without waiting for Google validation and fixing glitches? It’s quite tiring to search the play store again and again to trace the app,” he added.
In the meantime, public policy expert and a former advisor with United Nations Development Programme G Pramod Kumar recalled a previous occasion when the Kerala government launched a similar app to checkmate “imperialist” Uber, which had arrived in Kerala.
Labour Minister V Sivan Kutty and Transport Minister Antony Raju at the inaugural. (Supplied)
“Knowing about the app, I was thrilled, downloaded it, and waited for an opportunity. One day, I wasted an hour at the Thiruvananthapuram airport trying to open the app and book a taxi. As the app refused to open, I was forced to hire a regular taxi to return home,” said Kumar, adding that the app was no longer in existence.
While launching the latest project at a grand function at the city’s prestigious Kanakakunnu Palace grounds, Vijayan said the online platform would ensure a “fair and decent service to passengers” while providing “reasonable remuneration” to the auto-rickshaw and taxi drivers and owners.
The initiative was piloted by the Kerala Motor Transport Workers’ Welfare Fund Board under the Labour Department, and it contained provisions for safe travel at government-approved fares.
V Sajeev Kumar, a member of the board, said it had been getting numerous calls from passengers every day since the proposed launch date, asking them when the glitches would be fixed.
“We know the depth of the inconvenience caused to the general public, but the responses give us confidence that the taxi will become popular very soon,” said Kumar.
When contacted by South First, Sivankutty termed the difficulties in accessing the service four days after the launch as unanticipated, and said that he hoped the app would be released hit in the coming days.
“This is a Kerala model addressing the challenges posed by Ola and Uber,” claimed Sivankutty, adding that it would not switch to dynamic pricing during peak hours.
“It will have only fixed prices, and there will not be any fluctuations in fares,” he said.
Kumar said there would be a weekly review of the facility’s functioning in the coming days, and modifications would be undertaken based on that.
But the minister kept mum when asked why the government did not wait for a formal rollout until the app was approved by the Play Store.
The Indian Telephone Industries (ITI) in Palakkad was handling the technical aspects of the project.
The public-sector company has been tight-lipped for the most part, but has said the app would be ready for use in another week.
He said the app would levy hardly 8 percent service charge while other online taxi service providers charge 20-30 percent.
As a novelty, the amount collected as service charge would be utilised thoroughly for schemes aimed at uplifting the living standards of affiliated drivers.
The venture was initially expected to cover 321 auto-rickshaws and 228 cars. The delay in the app’s launch has demoralised the drivers and owners of these vehicles as well.
All the operators applied Kerala Savari stickers on their vehicles, bought approved uniforms, and made necessary changes to their mobile phones to receive orders, and they waited.
Kerala Savari launch function. (Supplied)
The first phase was to be implemented in Thiruvananthapuram city, while the next phase was slated for Ernakulam, Kozhikode, Kollam, Kannur, and Thrissur.
All drivers who found a place in the project were subjected to rigorous police verification to ensure passenger safety.
A round-the-clock call centre should also be operational soon to help customers.
The government planned to install GPS facilities on the chosen vehicles at subsidised rates, which would be implemented in a phased manner.
For the additional safety of passengers, panic buttons would be available on the app application itself.
The button would give passengers direct access to the police control room, fire services, and the motor vehicle department.
He said women, children, and senior citizens were the facility’s targeted customers.
