Vijayawada auto, cab drivers to double as tourist guides

Vijayawada: Auto and cab drivers in Vijayawada will soon take on a new role beyond simply transporting passengers. Under a new initiative by the AP tourism department, in partnership with ride-hailing platform Rapido, drivers are being trained to act as guides who can explain the region's history, culture and tourist attractions to visitors. A total of 280 drivers, including 32 cab drivers and 248 auto drivers, underwent training under the "Driver-cum-Guide" training programme, launched as a pilot project in Vijayawada. The initiative aims to transform drivers into "Ambassadors of Culture" who can provide tourists with information about local heritage while offering transportation services."The pilot project will be commissioned within the next 2 months in Vijayawada. Based on the response to the pilot project, it will be expanded to Tirupati and Visakhapatnam, the 2 major tourist destinations which witness heavy tourist influx," AP tourism marketing CEO Padma Rani Seela told TOI.The AP tourism department signed a MoU with Rapido co-founder Pavan Guntupalli during the Visakhapatnam Partnership Summit that was facilitated by chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu, tourism minister Kandula Durgesh, and special chief secretary (tourism) Ajay Jain, and APTDC MD Amrapali Kata.As part of the pilot project, a 2-day training programme was organised for the selected cab and auto drivers at the Tourism department headquarters in Auto Nagar in the city.At the training programme, the drivers were introduced to key tourist destinations in the region and given orientation on famous tourist destinations in and around Vijayawada city, such as the Buddhist Circuit, Amaravati, Nagarjuna Sagar and other historical sites. The drivers were also trained in using technology to communicate with international tourists, including apps such as Bhashini and Google Translate for multilingual interaction.The programme included a storytelling module developed with the support of Jignasa Artworks to help drivers narrate the historical significance of monuments in an engaging way. Participants also received guidance on tourist etiquette, safety standards and best practices in tourism services."The main objective of the pilot project is to attract tourists who visit Vijayawada from other states and are interested in exploring tourist locations in the city," Padma Rani Seela explained, adding the govt aims to promote tourism and enable riders to earn additional income."To help tourists identify these trained drivers, Rapido will be introducing a special "Tourist Guide" icon in its app, and visitors can select these certified drivers while booking rides in the city," the official added. —