As SMS facility gains popularity, the facility to book in advance is on the cards

Soon, you may be able to book an autorickshaw in advance just as you do with call taxis. The facility will be launched by the same organisation that launched the ‘SMS an auto’ facility.

The ‘SMS an auto facility’ was introduced on April 10 with over 1,000 autorickshaws affiliated to the All-India Trade Union Congress and other unions. By simply sending a text message to 9944733111, passengers will be picked up from their doorsteps, at an additional cost of just Rs. 10 above the meter fare. The service is available 24x7. Till date they have received over 5,000 SMSs from across the city and suburbs.

K. Navaneethan, a technology partner for the SMS facility, said that many passengers wanted a facility wherein they could book the autorickshaw in advance. “Many senior citizens wanted such a feature and felt it would be very helpful. We are working on a system which will facilitate this. It will be introduced soon,” he said.

However, not many passengers seem to be availing the facility at night. “The awareness about the service should be increased and people should start trusting us. Even drivers want the system to be streamlined as many drunkards call and book the autorickshaws at night. This leads to unnecessary problems for the drivers,” said Mr. Navaneethan.

He said that they are rectifying the glitches which are common during the launch of any service.

“Some customers type the spelling of the locality incorrectly and this leads to confusion and the service does not get billed,” he said.

J. Seshasayanam, secretary of Madras Metro Auto Drivers’ Association, affiliated to AITUC, said that drivers are slowly getting comfortable with the facility.

“The autorickshaw occupation should be organised like the call taxi services. This will benefit both the drivers and passengers,” he said.