After a recent reported conflict, Bengaluru’s Auto Rickshaw Drivers Union (ARDU) has now disclosed its differences with the auto-hailing platform Namma Yatri. According to ARDU, Namma Yatri is currently entirely driven by corporate leadership, and to the disappointment of ARDU, the co-ideators, they have no designated role in its current or future management.
Recently, the app, that started out as a collaborative effort between the ARDU and the payment gateway company Juspay Technologies, experienced a separation. Namma Yatri issued a statement addressing this development.
“The ARDU fully supported the creation of Namma Yatri. It was an app developed by ARDU leaders Rudramurthy and (PL) Pattabhirama for Bengaluru’s drivers and commuters. The unity of the community was the reason for Namma Yatri’s success,” said ARDU in a statement.
In a statement, Namma Yatri has recognized the contributions of Mr. Rudramurthy and Mr. Pattabhiram, emphasizing that it represents the entire driver community.
The Namma Yatri app was launched in November 2022 in partnership with the city’s autorickshaw drivers. It is currently an open source and does not take any commission from drivers and is also available in Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC). ONDC is a technology platform backed by the Union government to facilitate direct seller-to-customer transactions, cutting out middlemen.
Currently, the app service is available in Bengaluru and Mysuru.
