Bengaluru's Auto Rickshaw Drivers Union take an exit from Namma Yatri: Report

Namma Yatri reportedly failed to oblige many demands of ARDU even though the union played a key role while boarding auto drivers for the app during its launch.

One of the prominent auto rickshaw unions in Bengaluru, Auto Rickshaw Drivers Union (ARDU) has taken an exit from Namma Yatri, the ONDC backed raid hailing app, reported Money Control. Namma Yatri will reportedly continue to operate as many auto drivers are still part of the app which was touted to be a breather for commuters who face regular auto woes in Bengaluru.

Bengaluru's Auto Rickshaw Drivers Union take an exit from Namma Yatri: Report

According to the report, Namma Yatri failed to oblige many demands of ARDU even though the union played a key role while boarding auto drivers for the app during its launch. Speaking to the publication, a union leader said, “From the beginning, ARDU was part of Namma Yatri. A total of 10,000 drivers joined the app even before its launch and another 50,000 drivers launched post its launch. They are now underestimating our efforts and the union is being ignored.”

The Namma Yatri was believed to be an alternative to the aggregators like Ola, Uber and Rapido, which collect commission for every ride. The USP of the app is that drivers get all the money from the customer for the ride without any commissions. However, Namma Yatri recently started charging a subscription fee for drivers where they can pay ₹25 a day and ₹3.50 per ride (free after 10 rides in a day). This was reportedly to fuel the operations of the app because it doesn’t collect any money from drivers or customers for the rides. Namma Yatri is owned by the fin tech company Juspay Technologies Pvt Ltd.

Till October this year, Bengaluru’s auto-hailing app Namma Yatri has generated earnings of ₹189 crore for its drivers ever since it was launched, according to ONDC. Namma Yatri also claimed that it helped auto drivers save almost ₹19 crore through their zero-commission model