Mobike 'taxis' may vroom into city

CHENNAI: Looking to get somewhere in the city in a jiffy during peak hours when no cab can possibly give you a speedy ride? A new transport service in the city could soon cut you through the bustle without fuss.
Hey Bob, a mobile taxi aggregator, plans to introduce motorcycle and scooter taxis in Chennai soon, a mode of transport that is much faster than travelling by a fourwheeler on congested roads.
After starting operations on a pilot basis in Bengaluru on Wednesday, Hey Bob cofounder Vishal Kumar confirmed to TOI on Thursday that the company does intend to launch its services in Chennai, which, he said, promises to be an "exciting market" for the two-wheeler transport business.
"Yes, we are looking at Chennai as part of our plans," Kumar said.
"We need to speak to the government and transport officials. We would have launched earlier but for the floods and their impact on roads in the city . Hopefully, things will be back to normal soon and we'll be able to extend our services to Chennai."
He said a study by his company showed that a person travelling on a motorbike cuts average commute time by 70% when compared with travelling by cars or autorickshaws.
"After we announced our operations, more than 1,000 people downloaded the app in Bengaluru," Kumar said. Kumar said Hey Bob of ered speed of travel and security, with the company's officials carrying out detailed background checks of people hey appoint to ferry passen gers in a city.
Asked if Hey Bob would charge similar fares to the rates fixed by the Karnataka transport department for motorcycle and scooter taxis of Rs 10 for the first 2km and Rs 5 for every subsequent km, Kumar said the company would fix the rates after consultation with Tamil Nadu transport officials.
Motorcycle and scooter taxi services have proven popular in countries like Thailand, the UK, the US, Sweden, Brazil and Indonesia.
A similar service called 'Baxi' with 23 motorbike taxis launched in Gurgaon earlier this month. Baxi's focus was to target single customers for short distance travel and it takes out insurance policies for motorbikes and passengers.