Signs of fissures between Namma Yatri and auto drivers' union

Ride-hailing app touted as auto drivers' initiative has a 25% market share in Bengaluru

Bengaluru: Fissures are growing between members of an auto drivers' union that launched the successful ride-hailing app Namma Yatri and the company that now runs it. 

Juspay Technologies Pvt Ltd, the Bengaluru-headquartered fintech company that owns Namma Yatri, said on Monday that the app was a community-driven mobility initiative and was not exclusively affiliated with any single union. 

"We collaborate with more than one lakh drivers across unions and affiliations in Bengaluru. Auto drivers from multiple unions continue to be part of the platform and community initiatives. Our collaboration is with the entire driver community...," it said in a statement. 

Namma Yatri was launched in November 2022 by the Auto Rickshaw Drivers' Union (ARDU) on the union government's Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC) platform. Juspay provided the technical know-how, including cloud and maps, under the Software as a Service (Saas) model. 

Namma Yatri says it charges riders only Rs 10 over and above the government-stipulated fare, while drivers pay a subscription fee of Rs 25 per day or Rs 3.5 per ride (no fee after 10 trips). There is no commission. 

Every fourth app-based auto-rickshaw ride in Bengaluru now takes place through Namma Yatri, which accounts for 1.05 lakh of the nearly 4.3 lakh app-based auto rides per day. 

Drivers have collectively earned Rs 288 crore since the app was launched, according to Juspay. 

Over the last few months, Juspay has minimised the ARDU's role. 

ARDU's general secretary D Rudramurthy said while they were still invited to meetings about Namma Yatri, they were no longer consulted as before. According to him, Juspay "unilaterally" fixed the subscription fee. 

"We have no objections to the fee but should have been consulted," he told DH. 

Rudramurthy clarified that the ARDU's 32,000-odd drivers continue to be on Namma Yatri and said he didn't see any impact on the rides. 

Meeting on Tuesday 

Namma Yatri has called a meeting on Tuesday to hold discussions but hasn't specified an agenda, he added. 

Satya Arikutharam, an independent mobility expert who initiated and facilitated the conversation between the ARDU and Beckn Open Collective that led to the creation of Namma Yatri, says the app was envisaged and launched as a digital cooperative but its governance appears to have increasingly become corporate-led. 

He feels Namma Yatri's co-creators Rudramurthy and (ARDU organising secretary) P L Pattabhiram should have an ongoing role in the app's governance. 

"The two were the public faces of Namma Yatri because it was launched as an auto driver-led app. Both riders and drivers responded to them positively. Even today, I understand drivers seek answers from them for the app's decisions taken without their input. I hope Namma Yatri genuinely listens to its stakeholders," he added. 

For its part, Juspay has acknowledged the contributions of Arikutharam, Rudramurthy and Pattabhiram, saying they provided inputs on pricing and product features. ARDU representatives helped in setting pricing policies and volunteered to facilitate a pilot programme, it added.