Auto / Rick / Tuk Tuk Ride made better in Bangalore (An Idea)

Wherever i go one common problem that i have been observing from both non-IT and IT people(when i say non-IT its covers all categories who use rick as there mode of transport) is that they are always frustrated / complaining about taking a rick to the destination they want.

Most of the time everyone feels that the meters are tampered the driver's take a longer route or try to cheat them by being rude with the passengers. Especially when i see women with children who have to deal with such driver's is really hard. Though most of the time none of us are of any help and the government has never tried to venture out here to solve the problem.

While this thought was always going on in my mind there were few idea's/solution which came to my mind:

1. Stage a dharna against the rick's and take help from government to curb the tampering and put some policies in place. But, if you remember sometime back the government did try the driver's license display plate and it did not yeild much results. And we(the commuters) are still having the same issue.

2. Introduce a new system (hardware + software) to curb the issue. Lets call the name of the company as XYZ.

Generally once you board a rick the first thought that comes on your mind is "I hope this meter is not tampered"

How it works:

• XYZ shall provide a separate digital display device for the rick's which agree to install them on their vehicles.
• These devices will have a gps receiver and map's installed on them. This way i know exactly how much distance has been traveled.
• Whoever installs these devices will not have to spend money for the paint/decals/seat covers/tops. ( They will be sponsored by the XYZ company)
• Another typical problem faced is if you tell the driver to drive a little interior from the main road he start cribbing that he will not get new customers once he drops you). To solve this issue, GIS mapping of most of the prominent Auto Stand will be marked on the maps installed on the device and regular updates will be done for these stands, and a minimal extra will be added to the fare based on how far he is from the nearest Auto Stand. That way he doesnt have to worry of driving into the interior road or crib @ you. Both the passenger and the driver are happy.
• If the device display is of 800 x 480 pixel then i can also play Ad's/Video's/News/Bla bla since for fare display i will not use the entire 800 x 480. It will be a touch based app and will be having a 2 layered security so that its just next to impossible to hack it.
• As and when the customer's complete there rides they can leave feedback on the touch screen ( as simple as Good :) / Bad :( ). Also a Small LED Display on the roof the rick is made available which shows Total rides - Next time you wave a hand to board a rick before he stops you would have decided wether to board this rick or not. So, you know whether you need to board or wait for another rick with a better LED scores.
• This can also be interfaced with a cloud to book a pickup/drop schedule.

Any VC's out there to sponsor and take this ride with me i have more detailed business plans :) ???!!!????!!!