Namma Yatri says business as usual at the company; ARDU denies disengagement
Namma Yatri, in a statement, has said that it has always been union-agnostic. The Auto Rickshaw Drivers' Union has denied the news of severing ties with Namma Yatri.
Auto booking app has said that there have been no changes in its operations, and it has always been union-agnostic, denying a recent Moneycontrol story that stated that the Bengaluru-based auto union ARDU had broken ties with it.
ARDU (Auto Rickshaw Drivers Union) has also denied the news of severing ties with Namma Yatri, adding that it was meeting with the company today at 1 pm to understand where the rumour came from.
"This app is for the welfare of auto drivers ... No unions are involved in this. We continue to support Namma Yatri," a representative of ARDU told YourStory.
On Monday, Moneycontrol reported that Namma Yatri had parted ways with ARDU over pricing and promotions-related issues. The story also stated that the union wanted the company to launch a flat Rs 40 fee for a two-kilometre radius between metro stations and residences and offices—a request Namma Yatri allegedly did not entertain.
When asked if the subscription fee or the flat fare was an issue for auto drivers, the ARDU spokesperson told YourStory that Namma Yatri had engaged in detailed discussions with the group to arrive at a mutually agreeable price point. He added that the broader consensus within the driver community is that Namma Yatri is a more driver-friendly app than its competitors, especially in terms of commissions.
Namma Yatri, on its part, said that it is not affiliated with any union, and it is a driver community-driven initiative. "We have always been union-agnostic, prioritising community welfare over individual union interests."
The company's representatives also said that 80% of the drivers on its app are not associated with any unions at all, and only 20% of the drivers had affiliations with one.
Namma Yatri's public dashboard shows that 410 more drivers registered on the app on Monday when the Moneycontrol story broke. At present, it has a total of 1.46 lakh drivers on the app.
Edited by Suman Singh