Have Mumbai citizens ever wondered about the green colored Maruti-Esteem Taxis doing the rounds of the city? They are nothing else but taxis having better significance than the normal black and yellow taxis in the city. These green colored taxis are private GPS-enabled metered radio vehicles run by V-Link Services.
Earlier this year, V-Link Services came up with this unique concept of air-conditioned GPS-enabled taxis under the brand called Meru.
What’s so special about them? It’s not just the use of GPS technology but having an affordable journey alongwith safety of the passengers, which are the two foremost features of the Meru taxis.
The whole concept is that traveler calls at call centre number, which is 4422 4422 to arrange a taxi. The call centre passes the message to the taxi driver through GPS. The taxi driver then fetches the customer from a pick up point and leaves him/her at the desired destination.
Every taxi is equipped with an MCT box, which acts as a communicator between the call center and the driver. The device is based on the GPS technology. And the data provided to the drivers comes via GPRS.
Here’s how the system works…
When the customer calls on 4422 4422, the call centre executive takes various details such as the traveler’s location, destination etc and sends message to all taxi drivers stating that a particular passenger wants to go from Andheri to Churchagate(for instance). The message appears on the taxi’s MCT box. The box features options such as YES, NO and CANCEL. If the driver is interested to pick the customer from Andheri and drop him/her to Churchgate, the driver chooses YES option. He can also deny it with NO or CANCEL option. If the driver chooses the YES option, then he is provided with further details of the passenger i.e. his/her name and pick up point etc. following which the driver picks up the customer and drives him/her to the destination.
The MCT box also features buttons such as CALL and HELP. By which drivers can seek assistance, in case he needs any.
At the call centre, with the help of the GIS map, all taxis are tracked; no matter whether they are hired or vacant. That ensures safety of the consumer and restricts drivers from cheating customers.
Moreover, taxis also incorporate tamper free digital meter. Data on the meter is transmitted to the call centre through server with the help of the antenna.
Reading all this, you would be probably thinking that a journey in the Meru taxi is not for your pocket. But Meru taxi’s charges are fixed according to the specifications of Department of Transport, Government of Maharashtra, which is currently Rs. 15 for a minimum distance.
According to Nilesh Sangoi, CTO V-Link Taxis, Call Centre employees, 5-star hotel visitors along with several corporate people prefer to travel by Meru Taxis.
Considering the diverse Indian culture, the GPS solution needs to come in regional languages. As English is not a widely known language amongst Indians, the language has to be changed to regional language or at least widely known language (Hindi). When we asked about this to Mr. Sangoi, CTO said that company is working over it and would come out with the solution soon.
Another drawback could be the bad weather, as GPS systems usually tend to get affected in bad weather conditions. But CTO of V-Link confirmed that they did not find any difficulty or such failure during this monsoon.
Keeping the miniature drawbacks aside, Meru Taxis is surely affordable, safe, air-conditioned and convenient way of transport in the city. So here’s a safe journey in an affordable price.
