Meru Genie Low-Cost Taxi Service Launched in Hyderabad

Radio cab service provider Meru Cabs recently launched its low-cost taxi service called 'Genie' in a Hyderabad, India. The service is aimed at intra-city commuters in the mid-segment. The company has also released the Meru Cab App couple of months ago which helped the customers to track down the caps via GPS.

The company also has planned to expand the service to other cities soon including New Delhi and Bangalore among others. Moreover, the service is also likely to head towards Lucknow, Chandigarh and Visakhapatnam.

Meru Cabs, which is popular in Bangalore, will start this cheaper service with 50 Genie cabs in the city of Hyderabad and it is said to expand to about 500 in the next 6-9 months.

The service provider also said that they would employ hatchbacks like Toyota Liva, Indica Vista and Ford Figo for the air-conditioned cab service. It has priced the service at Rs 16 per km and in the night it will be raised to 25%. The business works through a driver-owned model. Moreover, customers can always hail a cab on the streets if its not occupied. The low-cost service will have a dedicated 24x7 call centre for booking the cab.

The cheaper taxi service 'Genie' will have a dedicated call centre team, separate from its parent. It will also use the same technologies, including digital meters, automated e-bill and GPS tracking like Meru.

Siddhartha Pahwa, chief executive officer, Meru Cabs reportedly said, "The city has the capacity to absorb 500-1,000 Genie cabs and nationally it is around 10,000".