Commuters complain of Namma Yatri app auto drivers cancelling rides in Bengaluru  

Namma Yatri is an open-source app launched by Auto Rickshaw Drivers’ Union (ARDU). It has been a success on Bengaluru roads so far with around 80,000 trips a day

“Last week, I had to go from Mehkri Circle to New BEL Road. I hailed a ride on Namma Yatri app, which I had been using for a few weeks. The driver accepted my ride, and came to pick me up. After I got inside the autorickshaw, he asked me where exactly my drop location was. When I revealed the drop location, he made me get out of the auto and cancelled my ride,” narrated Surabhi Sharma, a data analyst in north Bengaluru. 

Many commuters are now disappointed that the number of ride cancellations has increased on Namma Yatri, an app which was pitched by many autorickshaw drivers as an alternative to aggregator apps, without problems like ride cancellation that was the bane of Ola and Uber. 

“The driver’s reason to cancel the ride seemed very unreasonable to me. He claimed that he had assumed my drop location was Matthikere, and that he did not want to come to New BEL Road. While a couple of my rides were cancelled on the app before, this was a shocking experience, especially on an app created by auto drivers themselves,” Ms. Sharma continued. 

Many ride hailers told The Hindu that they had installed Namma Yatri as quite a few autorickshaw drivers had sold the idea of an app where there would be no cancellations.

Prabhakar S., a resident of Rajajinagar, said, “A few months ago, whenever I booked a ride on other apps, the auto drivers would tell me about Namma Yatri. They told me that while the cost would be cheaper on the app (as there would be no commission), the drivers would also not cancel the rides.

“However, in the last two weeks, at least three of my rides have been cancelled a few minutes after the app showed that a driver was coming to pick me up. I continue to use the app as it costs ₹10-20 lesser when compared to other apps. But this issue of cancellation needs to be addressed. We do not need the same problems on 10 different apps.” 

Namma Yatri is an open-source app launched by the Auto Rickshaw Drivers’ Union (ARDU), along with Juspay Technologies and Beckn Foundation. With around 80,000 trips a day, the app was being seen as a success story in Bengaluru. Auto drivers have collectively earned ₹90 crore through the app since its launch in November 2022.