Kerala’s local taxi operator body Ernakulam Car Drivers Welfare Society has launched a Kerala Taxi app (website) to let users book taxis online, reports Deccan Chronicle. The pilot project has 100 drivers and plans to add all the 3,000 taxi drivers in the Ernakulam district to the taxi booking app. The report adds that the service will charge a round trip fare, where the minimum charge to get a taxi will be Rs 150. Interestingly, drivers from all unions including independent drivers can sign up on the platform. A Hindu Business Line report states that the body plans to expand this service to other districts of Kerala soon. It states that the body expects taxi fares to come down as more drivers join the platform. The plan for this launch is at least 5 months old, both Scroll and TOI report that the Centre for Indian Trade Unions, the trade union wing of the CPM party was to launch an experimental service in the state. Scroll adds that Taxi Drivers’ Welfare Society then had 200 members, which would be expanded by adding drivers from various unions and be trained on multiple skills. At that time, Uber said that it had 1,500 drivers on its platform in Kochi. TOI adds that the service would offer even inter-city and interstate rides at Rs 150 for the first 5 kms and Rs 15 per km after that. It said that 1,000 drivers had signed up for the service from the district. As of…
