Let's Hail a Rickshaw.

DILIP SINGH looks important. A rickshaw puller by profession, he is also the president of the south zone Ecocab’s Dial-a-rickshaw service in Fazilka, a town in Punjab. Wearing a crisp shirt and smart shoes, he flashes his android cellphone and says, “Gone are the days when rickshaw pullers were known for dirty, unkempt looks.” Just like taxis in other cities, rickshaws in Fazilka arrive at the doorstep when called on their service number.

Complete with a fleet of uniform-wearing pullers and a strict etiquette code to follow, Dial a rickshaw is a modern twist to an old mode of transport. The rickshaw pullers can lose their licence if found misbehaving. Says Navdip Asija, an IIT graduate and a leading member of Graduates Welfare Association, Fazilka: “We did not want rickshaws to be known as a poor person’s transport. In this town even the wealthy and the aged demand such services.”
One can locate the nearest Ecocab call centre by using Google Maps or GPS. Ecocab also has a website where one can check details of the registered rickshaw pullers. 
Every day about 500 rickshaw pullers ferry 10,000 passengers. Each zone in the town has a dedicated phone number and at least 30 rickshaw pullers are available round-the-clock. Every puller owns a cellphone. Around 65 per cent of the pullers own their rickshaws. Ecocab provides each puller an insurance policy worth Rs 50,000. A set of woollens every winter and medical checkup and medicines are also offered at discounted prices. They also get legal aid and support for children’s schooling.

Amritsar has adopted Fazilka’s Ecocab model. In Patiala, a non-profit has started a similar service called Green Cabs

Fazilka’s community is reaping the benefits of the service. The Ecocab saves as much as 1,500 litres of fuel every day for the city. It has made travel safer. Resident Asha Kumari says, “Initially it used to be a long walk before I could get a rickshaw. Now all I have to do is pick up my phone. I also feel very safe.”
The service has helped the prime business area of Ghanta Ghar become a car-free zone. Following the services’ success, the Punjab and Haryana High Court has issued suo moto direction to both Punjab and Haryana to find ways to replicate Ecocab service in the rest of the state.

Rickshaw services to go hi-tech

 The scheme aims at providing a safer and efficient last mile connectivity to passengers. Moreover, it also benefits the auto drivers with provision of facilities like uniform, insurance and accident policies, all free of cost.
It may be noted that though the registration process may have begun for the auto drivers, the service would be opened to the public over the next month.
So, consider this. Once the plan rolls out, an auto rickshaw arriving at your doorstep would just be a phone call or an SMS away. The journey would be made more comfortable with facilities like newspapers and water bottles on the way. What's more, one would pay just by the meter and avoid all chances of over-charging.
Under this scientific management of auto rickshaws', the movement of each auto will be monitored by a control room and there will be very little scope of overcharging by drivers. The driver will also be given a cell phone. A passenger's call to the control room, will be directed to the auto closest to that address. This practice will reduce unnecessary plying of autos on roads, thus saving fuel and reducing traffic congestion.
"Effective implementation of this scheme will bring down the pressure on private transport in the city and make available efficient para-transit public transport," said Ramchandran.
Niteen Kareer, divisional commissioner and president of RTA, said, "The scheme is being implemented in association with Delhi-based private firm Indevelop. Pune is the first city where it will be implemented. In the process, all illegal permits and flaws will be removed, as every auto will have separate a registration under the GPS and GIS systems."
"All auto drivers enrolling for the scheme will get a uniform, insurance policy for the entire family and also an accident policy. There will also be regular health check-ups for the drivers. However, the scheme is being run on a voluntary basis," he said.
"Over 2,000 auto drivers have already registered for the scheme, in the initial stage. A dedicated control room for the process will be opened soon," said member RTA Baba Shinde.
Commissioner of police Satyapal Singh said that more than 30 per cent of the auto rickshaws in the city are illegal. Moreover, only 30 per cent of the drivers charge fares according to the metre. This scheme will help bring down such malpractices, as well as related criminal activities.

Hi-tech plan: biometric IDs for rickshaws

The friendly neighbourhood green transport on three wheels is set to get a boost, if the Delhi government’s plans are implemented.
In a reprieve of sorts for rickshawpullers, who face restriction of movement in various localities of the city, the government is thinking of regularising them by issuing biometric badges after training them in traffic rules. Meera Bhatia, standing counsel for the government, put the proposal containing minutes of a meeting between the Lieutenant-Governor and the Commissioners of Delhi Police and the MCD before the High Court recently.
“Every rickshawpuller is to be issued a biometric badge. The traffic police will be provided with hand-held biometric badge readers to check the authenticity of the rickshaw puller,” said the proposal, placed before a Special Bench comprising Chief Justice Ajit Prakash Shah and Justices S Muralidhar and Ravinder Bhatt.
The traffic police can regularly check the number and authorisation of rickshawpullers if the biometric badges are introduced.