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Guwahati: The Assam State Transport Corporation Limited (ASTC) has introduced 'Baayu', a mobile application for two-wheeler taxis that will be operational from January 8 in Guwahati. This latest initiative of the state transport body will allow residents of Guwahati to take an EV bike ride and order goods deliveries through the same mode.
At a launch ceremony on Sunday, transport minister Parimal Suklabaidya expressed his confidence and congratulated 75 bike riders who joined the 'Baayu' fleet on the very first day of operations. The minister encouraged the bike riders to be "careful" with their conduct with their passengers. "You have a very big responsibility to make the passengers feel safe and comfortable", he said, before going on to caution against drunken driving and rising cases of accidents in the state.
ASTC Managing Director Rahul Chandra Das, speaking on the occasion, said, "We plan that e-bikes will be an answer to all the problems passengers are facing with other bike services like demand for extra money by captain, delays in arriving, and so on. A revolution for electric mobility has started across the country, so why we cannot endorse the same?”
Das clarified that the service is "100 percent electric" and that it gradually will be available across Assam with 5,000 bikes. "The app will help young men to become entrepreneurs by joining the movement to become riders", he said.
Himangshu Das, the District Transport Officer of Kamrup Metro, stressed the importance of road safety on the occasion. "Passenger service is the most respectable service and it will require proper skills", he said, adding that the drivers must be well-trained with good communication skills and not harass passengers over money.
Sumit Das, cofounder of Assam start-up Bikojee Ecotech which is involved in the project, said, "We have undertaken this initiative to reduce complaints about bike taxis. The cost of fare that will be visible to the customers will be visible to the drivers as well and the driver will not be able to take more than the prescribed charges."
The service is Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC) enabled and all the service providers will be able to get associated with this ecosystem, Das added, providing more insight about the nature of this initiative. ONDC is an initiative by the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) aimed at democratizing digital commerce by establishing an interoperable open network, enabling digital transactions in goods and services. The ASTC MD informed Business North East that Baayu will be fully integrated with ONDC next month.
"Initiating an emission bike taxi and delivery service, the Baayu app is ready to generate 5,000 livelihood opportunities for driver-partners in Assam", stated an official release. This number was also confirmed to Business North East by minister Suklabaidya. "To meet the challenges of a smaller number of electric vehicle charging points here, we have signed a memorandum with Tata Power to erect more of these", he further informed.
Baayu will support an electric vehicle technology platform, insurance, training, skill development, and operating license in vehicle technology platforms, insurance training, skill development, and operating license in line with Assam Aggregator Rules 2022, added the release.
According to the ASTC, this initiative will save 29,000 tonnes of carbon emissions and Rs 73 crore on fuel costs, annually. Supported by NITI Aayog's Shoonya Zero pollution mobility campaign 'Baayu-Clean Air Movement', ASTC aims to improve the air quality and public health of cities.
"We will do our best to make the passengers' experience worthwhile", a Baayu biker present at the launch optimistically remarked to Business North East.
