KOZHIKODE: The district administration is yet to evoke interest among the public and auto drivers in the Android App ‘Hey Auto’ that aims at helping folks to easily locate autorickshaws in their vicinity for service.
During a meeting-cum-workshop organised for the city drivers to introduce the mobile application, the administration could only manage to draw the attention of less than 50 participants.
However, the project could not meet its real intention. The app developed by experts of Calicut Forum for Information Technology, has been downloaded by more than 1000 folks and thanks to the Facebook post of the district collector popularizing the app.
According to his personal assistant Nijesh, who is in charge of the project, Hey Auto, could not turn that effective as expected.
“We wanted to bring together various trade union organizations and members, but during the first workshop, very few people took part,” he said.
“We wanted to streamline the entire system with the mutual support of auto drivers”. The mobile application was designed in such a way that, through the GPRS facilities on the smartphones of the needy and the auto drivers, one could have quick access to contact number of auto drivers of nearby location.
The application also had the facility for passengers to rate the services including the behaviors of auto drivers, which was often a point of discussion.
Through this rate, passengers could hire the auto drivers they wish to, which could also help in replacing the culture of long waiting of rickshaws.
