Namma Yatri pilots taxi service in Bengaluru

Auto booking app Namma Yatri, backed by Juspay Technologies, has piloted taxi service in its home turf, Bengaluru. The ride-hailing firm told YourStory that it has done a soft launch in Chennai too.

According to sources, the official launch is due on Tuesday, April 16. No specific date was mentioned for the official launch in Chennai, however, it will be soon, the source suggested.

Earlier this year, in January, the app launched its auto booking services in Chennai with 10,000 drivers on its platform.

The taxi-hailing service is already operational in Kochi and Kolkata. Namma Yatri launched taxi services in Kolkata in partnership with the state government, where it is known as Yatri Sathi, and allows customers to book the iconic yellow taxis.

Part of the Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC), the app will continue to have the same revenue model for its taxi-hailing vertical as for its auto-hailing service, that is, the platform will charge no commission and the entire fare will be directly transferred to the driver.

Initially, Namma Yatri did not charge any commission, helping drivers discover rides digitally. However, with operational, engineering, marketing, and R&D costs increasing, Juspay decided to charge a subscription fee of Rs 25 per day for unlimited trips, or Rs 3.50 per ride, with no charges after 10 rides.

In January 2024, the app launched in New Delhi with 10,000 drivers on the platform, making first and last-mile connectivity with metro services smoother.

"The app already recognises rides to and from metro as special rides and offers a better service to both drivers and customers. In the coming months, the app will deeply integrate with public transportation through ONCD Network to offer seamless multi-modal transportation towards sustainable transportation in Delhi," ONDC had said in a statement.

The app targeted 50,000 drivers in the capital city to come onboard in the following three months.

According to its website, Namma Yatri has enabled 3.5 lakh drivers across the country so far, with 59.03 lakh registered users, fulfilling 3.42 crore rides since inception.