Bangalore Couple Books Auto On Ride-Hailing, Gets Picked Up In Mercedes [Video]
In the past few years, we have seen ride-hailing apps rise to stellar acceptance in India. People now rely on apps like Ola, Uber, Rapido, and Blusmart to book cabs and autorickshaws. ‘Namma Yatri’ is a relatively new player, launched in November 2022. As suggested by its name, this app has its roots in Bangalore. It was developed in association with Bengaluru’s Auto Rickshaw Drivers’ Union and was initially aimed at digitalising autorickshaw bookings. In the years that followed, we saw it grow into a broader ride hailing platform, chasing giants like OLA and Uber. Recently, a couple who booked an auto on Namma Yatri got picked up in a Mercedes-Benz sedan. A video of the same, shared online, gives us more details of the application’s newest initiative...
This video is from Bengaluru. The couple here was surprised to see a Mercedes Benz as their ride, when they knew they had booked an auto. As soon as they entered the sedan, the man asked the chauffeur what this was all about and how they ended up getting a Mercedes instead of an auto. The driver then gives them the details of this surprise gesture from Namma Yatri.
This seems to be a special arrangement made by Namma Yatri for its Bengaluru customers. In what seems to be a marketing strategy, the company is earmarking some of its users as ‘lucky customers’ and giving them rides in a Mercedes-Benz sedan instead of the vehicles they chose on the app- be it autorickshaws or small cars like Wagon-Rs.
How to become the ‘lucky customer’, you ask? Well, the earmarking is known to be completely arbitrary. All you have to do is book a ride using the platform. If you’re ‘chosen’, you’ll see a Mercedes arrive to pick you up. If not, you’d have to take whatever ride you chose during the booking! The company seems to be trying to expand its user base and boost platform usage with this initiative.
The Mercedes Benz shown in the above video seems to be a 2021 E Class facelift, which had an ex-showroom starting price of Rs 63.6 lakh at launch. This long wheelbase (LWB) sedan is known for its rear seat experience. Most people who buy it prefer to be chauffeured around in style, and it is indeed a hot seller in its segment. Namma Yatri seems to have made just the right choice by choosing the E Class as the luxury ride for its ‘lucky customers’.
The Video has been racking up views online. Netizens seem to love the gesture and are showing up with interesting comments. “Ferrari wanted next time," quipped one, while another said “Great marketing strategy”. Another user said, "The surprise was awesome, but the bigger surprise was that Hindi conversation", apparently referring to the recent language-related disputes (read: wars) in Bengaluru.
Someone even bemoaned his misfortune and wrote, “I have been booking Namma since the day they launched the app, never got such a surprise.”
Like most app-based businesses, building a strong, loyal customer (user) base and keeping them engaged consistently on the platform is critical for the growth of online ride-hailing services. Rewards like this make the customer happy and can potentially increase their chances of trusting the brand more and eventually choosing it over the competition.
The platform now has its services available in Bengaluru, Delhi, Hyderabad, Chennai, Kochi, Mysuru, Tumkur, Kolkata, and Siliguri. It is known to be eyeing expansion to more, in the upcoming years. What started off as an autorickshaw-booking app is now a full-fledged ride hailing platform that can be used to book cabs as well. Namma Yatri, in fact, generates 40% of its revenue from four-wheeler cab service!