Lok Sabha elections 2024 Bengaluru: Rapido offers free rides to senior citizens, differently-abled voters in city

Rapido offers free rides to differently-abled and senior citizens in Bengaluru, Mysuru, and Mangaluru for the Lok Sabha election on April 26 in Karnataka.

Updated on: Apr 25, 2024, 11:45:44 IST

By Yamini C S

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Ride-hailing service Rapido on Wednesday announced complimentary bike taxi, auto, and cab rides to differently-abled and senior citizen voters across Karnataka as a part of its "SawaariZimmedariKi" campaign ahead of the Lok Sabha election in the state.

Residents of Bengaluru can book rides using the code ‘VOTENOW’ to access free transportation to and from polling stations on April 26. (Representational Photo/HT)

Residents of Bengaluru, Mysuru, and Mangaluru can benefit from this initiative by using the code ‘VOTENOW’ to access free transportation to and from polling stations on April 26, a statement released by the company said.

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"In collaboration with the Election Commission of India (ECI) and Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP), Rapido sets forth to champion civic engagement during the General Elections 2024 by extending free auto and cab rides to differently-abled and senior citizen voters in Bengaluru. As part of this historic endeavour, Rapido pledges to provide free rides to voters in Bengaluru on 26th April, 2024," the statement read.

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"We are undertaking this initiative to ensure that every voter in Bengaluru, Mysuru, and Mangaluru can successfully fulfil their civic duty by casting their votes in the Indian General Election 2024. We have deployed all available resources to us in order to ensure that voters in Bengaluru can participate in the electoral process. We want to specifically ensure that differently abled, and senior citizen voters have equitable access to exercise their democratic right. By extending free auto and cab rides to them, we are redoubling our commitment to inclusivity and social responsibility,” Rapido’s Co-founder Pavan Guntupalli said.

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“By offering these free rides, we are facilitating democracy in action. Our Rapido captains in Bengaluru are more than just drivers; they are ambassadors of civic engagement, enabling greater voter turnout and promoting a more representative electoral system in the world's largest democracy," He further added.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Yamini C S
Yamini CS is a Senior Content Producer at Hindustan Times with nearly six years of experience in digital journalism. She is part of the India News desk, where she works on a wide range of stories cutting across civic issues, city-based developments, politics, governance, public policy, breaking news, trending topics, and international affairs that have an impact on India. Her role involves tracking fast-moving developments, verifying information from official and on-ground sources, and presenting news in a clear, accessible format for a digital-first audience. A significant part of her work includes handling live blogs during major news events, such as elections, court verdicts, political developments, civic disruptions, protests, weather-related alerts, and unfolding national or international incidents. Through live coverage, she focuses on timely updates to help readers follow complex stories as they evolve. Before moving to the broader India News desk, Yamini was associated with the Bengaluru desk at Hindustan Times, where she extensively covered urban governance, infrastructure, traffic and transport issues, weather events, public grievances, and civic administration in the city. This experience strengthened her grounding in city reporting and sharpened her focus on citizen-centric journalism. She began her career as a correspondent with Reuters after completing a postgraduate diploma in journalism from the Indian Institute of Journalism and New Media. Her early training instilled a strong emphasis on accuracy, sourcing, and news ethics, which continue to shape her reporting style. Outside of work, Yamini enjoys reading across genres, listening to music, and spending time with her family, which help her maintain balance in a fast-paced newsroom environment.Read More

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