Taxi unions to re-launch app on Thursday

Mumbai: The taxi unions on Thursday will re-launch an app named “Aamchi Mumbai” which failed miserably earlier.

When the app was launched six months ago, drivers complained that they could not afford the smart phones required to download the app.

Meanwhile, black-and-yellow taxi drivers have claimed that Ola is wooing them with free smart phones.

A black-and-yellow taxi driver who is contemplating shifting to Ola and Uber said, “I went to their office in Andheri and told them I was interested but hesitant since I owned a very simple phone. They immediately told me not to worry about it and would give me one free-of-cost.”

Asked about the same, union leader A.L. Quadros said, “We will definitely pick up pace this time. Most of the drivers have android-based phones and we don’t have to worry about that.”

Unable to give a clear answer as to how it would be different this time, Quadros said, “This is a new beginning for us and we will make sure that people find black-and-yellow taxis to be a viable option when compared to Ola or Uber.”

The taxi union had outsourced the app to a small company that was finding it difficult to convince drivers to dig deep into their pockets to purchase smart phones that are quite costly.