PUNE, India — When Praveen Narayan Dusane first started driving an auto-rickshaw in this crowded college town, he had to hustle for every rupee. He could wait hours at a rickshaw stand for passengers. He fought with other drivers and haggled with passengers over the fares. Typically, he earned just 300 rupees, or roughly $5, during a 12-hour shift.

Now Mr. Dusane simply checks the text messages on his cellphone for his schedule, with pickups usually coming every hour or so. Business is so brisk that he recently bought an apartment for $33,000 and can afford to send his three school-age daughters to an English language school.

“Earlier I had to sometimes wait all day for a ride and even then it was up to your luck the kind of fare you got,” said Mr. Dusane. “Now it’s like you can see the money in front of you.”

It is the advantage of the algorithm.

In a country clogged with congestion, a handful of start-ups are using technology to more easily connect auto-rickshaw drivers with customers — an Indian twist to Uber and Lyft, the ride-hailing apps.