Auto rickshaws are stepping up their game following the increased usage of cab-hailing applications like Ola, TaxiForSure and Uber. Bangalore-based autorickshaw hailing application mGaadi has signed up with Bangalore police to revive the prepaid autorickshaw system in a bid to regulate one of the most notorious public transport systems in the city, reports the Economic Times. mGaadi will run prepaid stands in 18 areas as a pilot for 12 months, B Dayanand, Additional Commissioner of Police (Traffic), told the publication. Under the new system, the rides in autos will have details which include the fare, distance and destination, said Solomon Prakash, co-founder of mGaadi. The rides will also include a receipt at the end of the trip and passengers will also get to rate the drivers via SMS. The initiative also has backing from an auto rickshaw drivers union in the city. Last year in May, mGaadi raised seed stage funding from Unitus Seed Fund and claims to have about 9,000 drivers in its network. The company says you can get a real-time update of the driver count operating on the network through their Android and Windows Phone app. Our take There were some questions which were left unanswered about safety.This is a welcome move on the part of the Bangalore Police considering they're trying to fix one of Bangalore's transportation problems. mGaadi, however, has not elaborated on the passenger safety front. Is there a dedicated panic/ SOS button or a helpline for reporting accidents and driver harassment? Prepaid autos in the city spluttered to a…
