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News
GPS enabled ‘MERU’ taxis launched
V-Link, a fleet management company has launched ‘Meru’,
a GPS enabled metered radio taxi service in Mumbai. India Value Fund, a private
equity fund with a diverse set of investments in India such as, Biocon, Trinethra
and Radio City has recently taken a stake in V-Link and is providing management
support besides requisite equity infusion. IVF has been instrumental in building
several valuable businesses in the past.
The company plans to launch its operations in Mumbai, as a part of the Maharashtra
government’s fleet taxi service and subsequently in Delhi, Kolkata, Chandigarh,
Hyderabad, Bangalore, Chennai and Pune.
It initially launched 150 taxis and plans to increase this to 1,000 by year
end and further plans to manage a fleet of at least 10,000 cabs across major
metros of the country in the next three to five years. Initally the fleet consists
of Maruti Esteems.
 Neeraj
Gupta, Managing Director of V-Link Group says, “V - Link has satisfied
the criteria laid down by the Government of Maharashtra and is one of the players
selected by the Government as an operator of radio taxis in Mumbai. Services
such as “Dial-a-Meru”, “SMS-a-Meru” and “Meru-on-the-Net”
will also be available shortly.”
Anjan Deb, Chief Operating Officer, V-Link Group adds, “People will commute
in a modern, air-conditioned taxi, backed by GPS-based dispatch technology.
They will now be able to call for a taxi at a desired place of pick-up, with
100 percent assurance of a tamper-proof meter and a printed receipt. Emergency
security features are installed in the car for complete passenger safety. The
fleet of Meru cabs operates on clean, green fuel thus contributing to keeping
Mumbai clean and fresh.”
V-Link plans to offer an advance booking system for Meru which allows a customer
to book for a cab on the phone or on the Net in advance and get a cab at their
appointed location from anywhere within the city of Mumbai. Since the business
is ramping up gradually, it is likely that the initial advance booking system
will be available only in limited parts of the city, but would quickly be made
available across the entire city. Additionally, customers will also be able
to hail a Meru cab by the curbside, or hire a Meru cab parked at several pre-designated
locations across the city.
V-Link will use their technology for ensuring that there is a responsive “Lost
and Found” tracking system in place so that any item left behind inadvertently
in a Meru cab can be traced to the vehicle that the reporting customer has used.
Every fare that a Meru collects is digitally transmitted back to the control
centre where it is recorded for reference. Each cab has an onboard printer which
gives a printed receipt for the fare collected. The digital tamper proof meter
on board and the printed receipt for fares ensure that the passenger pays strictly
in line with the fare structure and no more. The fare structure of the Meru
service is in line with the fares prescribed by the Department of Transport,
Government of Maharashtra and is at a premium to the existing fares of the yellow
top cabs, in line with the superior service that is being provided by Meru.
—Dominic K
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