Streamlining Commuting: Start-ups Champion Seamless Journeys from Origin to Destination
In the bustling city of Bangalore, two innovative startups, Rapido and Namma Yatri, are making waves in the mobility sector. Both companies are recognised for their pioneering approaches in the ride-sharing space, with Rapido embracing subscription driver models similar to those pioneered by Namma Yatri, and challenging the dominance of Ola and Uber.
Recently, Rapido has partnered with the Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Ltd (BMRCL) to offer discounted metro ticketing through its app. This partnership is part of a two-week beta trial, aimed at encouraging metro adoption by removing price friction and simplifying access.
The trial has seen the launch of 'Namma Transit', a feature within the Namma Yatri app that blends metro and auto routes into a unified experience. This innovative offering is resulting in time and cost savings for commuters, who can now view a combined fare and plan their entire trip within the app.
Usage of Namma Transit has been steadily picking up around metro stations, with people appreciating the convenience and cost savings of combining metro with autos or cabs through one app. However, the current status of the partnership between Rapido and Namma Yatri for offering seamless multimodal travel experiences, including discounted metro ticketing and end-to-end journey planning, is not explicitly detailed in available recent sources.
Meanwhile, urban mobility expert, Satya Arikutharam, suggests that the multimodal trip offering could lead to captive users with inflated first mile and last mile fares. He also mentions that BMRCL is not providing space for professional auto drivers at stations who are willing to offer trips by the fare meter.
The setup for the start-ups' services is modular, scalable, and aligned with the vision of open digital infrastructure for public good. It includes metro route data from BMRCL's Enroute Challenge, GTFS schedule information, and ticketing via the ONDC network.
Rapido is also exploring similar public transport partnerships in other locations. Despite the lack of a confirmed partnership between Rapido and Namma Yatri for multimodal travel solutions, the initial response to Namma Transit has been positive, according to a Namma Yatri spokesperson.
As always, for the latest official announcements or app features, checking the corporate or app platforms directly might be necessary, as public reports do not yet reflect such a partnership.
- The partnership between Rapido and BMRCL includes offering discounted metro ticketing through Rapido's app as part of a beta trial, with the aim of encouraging metro adoption by removing price friction and simplifying access.
- Namma Yatri has launched a feature called Namma Transit within its app, which blends metro and auto routes into a unified experience, resulting in time and cost savings for commuters.
- Urban mobility expert, Satya Arikutharam, has suggested that the multimodal trip offering could lead to captive users with inflated first mile and last mile fares, and also mentioned that BMRCL is not providing space for professional auto drivers at stations who are willing to offer trips by the fare meter.
- Rapido is also exploring similar public transport partnerships in other locations, and despite the lack of a confirmed partnership between Rapido and Namma Yatri for multimodal travel solutions, the initial response to Namma Transit has been positive, according to a Namma Yatri spokesperson.
