A couple of days ago, a mobile app called The Happy Auto was added to the market. It is an app for any Bengalurean who is bothered by autowallahs while commuting. With the hike in auto fare as of December 20 (Minimum fare: Rs 25 and Rs 13 per km thereafter), people are going to be all the more aware of the ting in the meter. We speak to the 23-year-olds, Ganesh Chandramouli, Aravind MA and Ojas Hattiangadi, the masterminds behind the app.
“The Happy Auto functions such that once you’ve registered, every time you get into an auto, you have the option to key in the driver’s license number, and answer a feedback form, about whether the driver agreed to your destination, charged a fair fare, took the shortest route, etc,” says Ganesh. The cutest part is that if the feedback is good for a particular driver, his auto gets a Happy Auto sticker; a holographic and non-replicable sticker. “Once you see the sticker, you’ll automatically know the driver is trustworthy,” explains Ganesh.
For these three IT professionals, it was the urge to do something new, and encourage good auto drivers than punish the bad ones. “My father has been working with the police department for a while now and he came up with the idea, and we approached the Additional Commissioner, B Dayanand. The police department has been very appreciative. They have let us youngsters take care of the whole thing,” says Aravind, who handles the database. The ambitious boys want to improve the app in any way they can, adding GPS, scanning codes, emergency alarms, but they would like this app to settle down first.
“In the long run, we want to get ads on autos and generate revenue for autos. They don’t really intend to cheat. It’s just that there is too much corruption and they face hurdles at every step when they want to progress,” says Ganesh. This seems to be the perfect time to make this app and it is evident from the response they have received. “We have already had the first 600 people download the app within two days and it’s very encouraging. I have personally had several bad experiences with autos. It just feels good to create an app that gives something back to the society and helps Bengalureans,” says Ojas.
