How some Kerala drivers took on Uber/Ola with their local taxi service app

Qbr cabs, which started operating in Thiruvananthapuram, Kochi and Kozhikode last year, launched its service in Thrissur on April 15.

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When Arun Kumar, a taxi driver from Poojapura in Thiruvananthapuram, signed up on Uber last year, he did not expect to be so thoroughly disenchanted with the app so soon. It wasn't just the high rate of commission Uber took for every ride. It was also the utter lack of respect and professionalism extended towards the drivers, Arun says.

When the cab aggregator began full fledged operations in Kerala in 2016, the state's disillusioned local taxi drivers did not take the change lying down. Several driver unions such as OTDU (Online Taxi Driver Union) staged protests. However, none bore fruit. Two years later, a bunch of these drivers came up wih a fitting response to Ola and Uber, by launching Qbr - their homegrown taxi service app.

On April 15, Qbr (Quality and Best Ride) turned six months old and expanded its services to its fourth district in the State - Thrissur, a commendable achievement for a fledgeling app challenging two giants in the market.

What necessitated the change

“They (the company) had blocked me and others several times as they received complaints from customers stating that we did not carry their bags at the airport or due to several other petty reasons. The company would never even inform why they were blocking us," Arun tells TNM.

For years now, a major complaint of cab drivers against Ola and Uber has been the high rate of commission - 26 percent - taken by aggregators, per ride. This, Arun says, forms a sizeable chunk of the driver's earnings.

Besides, numerous incentives by the companies also added pressure on drivers to work overtime to meet targets. "Once we almost reach our targets, we stopped getting rides. If we do achieve our target, they delayed crediting our incentive," Arun says.

With long distance rides, it was even harder as the apps would only charge a one-way fare and the driver would have to bear the return.

Explaining this, Arun says, “If I had to take a customer to Varkala from Thiruvananthapuram city, the state-mandated fare would be Rs 1,500. But I would only get Rs 700 as they (Uber/Ola) do not charge return fee from the user. And they tell us (driver) to wait around and get another ride from the drop destination."

A win-win ride

Quality and Best Ride or Qbr tries, for the most part, to remain true to its name. "We charge a small commission of 6% per ride. This means, if a driver earns Rs 100, we take only 6% and not 26 percent as Ola and Uber would take. They get to keep the rest," says Jose R, Managing Director of Qbr.

The app, which includes outstation, rental and city-based services, has done away with the system of surge fares and cancellations fees. “The rates are more consistent, unlike other private aggregators where fares fluctuate constantly," Jose says.

With the low commission, cab drivers can also make some profit.

“The State guarantees a minimum fare of Rs 15 per kilometre in Kerala. But with Uber and Ola, we earned Rs 9 or Rs 10 due to the cuts. This led to staggering losses for us as we had taken loans of Rs 8 or Rs 10 lakh to buy or lease out cars to drive. I could not afford to fill fuel, get the cars serviced, pay the instalments etc with money they gave," Arun says, who moved to Qbr a few months ago.

He has been receiving prompt payments from the company (for all card payments made by the user) so far. Qbr has also done away with the concept of targets or incentives, giving drivers the freedom to switch on their phones or take rides whenever they felt like.

"We don't want to add pressure to the drivers in any way. They can take the rides they want to. They do not have to work extra hours and can take breaks as well," Jose says.

The homegrown cab aggregators are currently operating in four districts of Kerala, namely Thiruvananthapuram, Kochi, Kozhikode and Thrissur.

Today, Qbr has a fleet of 200 cabs operating in Thrissur. “We are doing well in the district as most drivers here are only on Qbr. Some are on both platforms as they want to make extra money," says Jose.

"Our goal is to make this a statewide service. And we will get there slow and steady," he adds.