Meru Cabs launches car pool service in India
Cab operator Meru Cabs announced yesterday the launch of a new carpooling service, called CarPool, for its customers across India. The firm, which started as a taxi operator in 2007, and moved to an app-based taxi aggregator model in 2012 to keep up with Uber and Ola, has entered the carpooling segment that is estimated by Meru to sit at $15bn in India. CarPool by Meru also comes with the all-important mobile wallet payment system through service provider Paytm.
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Siddhartha Pahwa

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Carpool by Meru

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Before the flock of Olas and Ubers made way into our phone apps and became a preferred alternative from the daily hassles of forcing an auto-driver to go by the meter or desperately trying to hail a taxi on a rainy day, cab service providerused to rule the market.Being the only one with such a service, Meru not only commanded a loyal base of customers who were bereft of choices, but it also provided an experience better than the regular taxis , that too at a similar price.Then the market expanded and in came new players likeand, which aggressively promoted themselves with cheaper pricing, abundant selection in types of cabs and interesting tie-ups ensuring they made headlines day in and out.In between, Meru, the oldest cab service provider somewhat lost its footing. However, not one to lag behind, Meru today announced the launch of its new ride sharing service, 'CarPool' for its customers across India, in keeping with the added services provided by competitors Uber and Ola in the past.Currently available in Android, the service is integrated in the Meru Cabs mobile app and essentially allows ride-sharing for people going in the same direction.“We’re targeting everyone who owns a personal vehicle across the country with this service. Our research showed that atleast 50 percent of the vehicle owners would be interested in offering a ride to people, provided the safety aspect is taken care of. And, that’s where we came in,” explained, CEO of Meru Cabs.He said that anyone over the age of 18 years can register as a ride-owner by furnishing their email-address, driver’s license, phone number and Facebook profile. Additionally, a PAN card/Aadhar card verification of both the ride-owners and a ride-sharer are mandatory for the completion of the registration process. A registration will be confirmed only after the elementary verification conducted by the Meru app team is over.“Thus, we will have the details of both the ride-owner and the sharer. Our team will thus monitor all rides taking places 24x7 and raise an alarm incase something goes haywire,” added Pahwa.On being asked whether there would still be hesitation on the part of a customer to share a ride with a stranger at a time when unfortunate incidents are on the rise, he confidently explained that the reputation and association of Meru, which is a trusted brand player in the market should seal the deal.Dismissing fears of the new carpool service dividing the customer base of Meru, Pahwa said the need of the hour is to provide customers with more options in orderto make their travel effortless and cheaper. Customer satisafaction comes firsta nd foremost, he elaborates.The pricing of the ride offered is however totally upto the ride-owner. “Meru is just validating this service. It’s the ride-owner who decides if he wants to charge Rs 100 for a seat or Rs 200. There is no minimum or maximum charge levied from our side,” he stated.Asserting that Meru has already left Uber and Ola behind in terms of competition, Pahwa says that the Indian customer is more value-conscious than price conscious, which is the reason why Meru has been experiencing a 40 percent growth with a faithful set of customers despite being priced on the steeper side.“If Indian customers were price-driven and chose Uber and Ola over Meru cabs, I would’ve closed down by now,” he gleefully admits.Signing off, Pahwa lets us in on a secret, “The $15 billion personal transporation industry is our target.is going to assume a larger part in our business in the next three to four years.”Image credit: Indiatimes