Birth And Genesis

AutoRaja is the brainchild of Anubhav and Aishwarya – one, a student of Computer Science, the other, that of Sociology. Having lived in different parts of the country, both arrived in Chennai- only to find themselves treated with a lot of respect by auto-rickshaw drivers at Central Station on one occasion while fleeced, on another occasion, right in front of their house! Outside malls, Aishwarya frequently engaged in bitter quarrels negotiating fares with at least ten drivers at a time. Anubhav, on the contrary, would often find no auto-rickshaw in the stand or on the streets in his locality – way off from the main roads connecting the city.

That’s when both were hit by a sea of complaints from all quarters – obvious grievances against auto-rickshaw drivers in the city: drivers do not use fare meters, they charge exorbitantly, they refuse to travel to certain destinations, drivers drive rashly and behave rudely too! What’s worse, the drivers complain of a lack of customers, ill-treatment at the hands of passengers, and insufficient earnings by driving auto-rickshaws.

Having identified the pain points, Aishwarya and Anubhav decided to not stop at whining but to take matters into their own hands! “How about we get drivers to run on reasonable rates? Why don’t we provide professional training to auto-rickshaw drivers in the city? What if the customer could enjoy a technologically-enhanced, hassle-free auto-rickshaw ride anywhere and anytime? Could we create a network of all existing rickshaws in the city and help them find customers – that way the drivers and their families would benefit too? How about we offer health and other social benefits as well to the drivers?”, were questions that plagued the duo’s minds, and after half a year of surveys, interviews, brainstorming and presentations, Auto Raja was born.