Shri Amitabh Gupta
Controller
Legal Metrology Organization
--------------------------------------------------
Dear Shri Guptaji :
I hope this reaches you ( I could not find your personal
email id / nor get through to 022-2288,6666 )
I reproduce below , my today's blog ( along with an earlier
blog dt 14 Feb 2016 )
I would be happy to receive
your comments on my suggestion
with regards,
hemen
parekh
Marol
, Mumbai , India
( M
) +91 - 98,67,55,08,08
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Tablets in Taxies
?
DNA
( 16 May 2016 ) carries following news-report :
"
LMO for apps to replace fare meters "
In
this report , Shri Amitabh Gupta ,
Controller of Legal Metrology Organization ( LMO ) , is quoted as follows :
" There are couple
of mobile phone-based applications available on the internet which can calculate
the fare based on distance and waiting time.
If genuine applications are verified by the LMO, then any auto
rickshaw or taxi driver can download it on their phones and then use them.
Since they would be
verified by the LMO, there would no question over the issue of malpractice.
This way, gradually the
electric metres would give way to such applications that appears to be useful
and are in line with the latest technology "
Congratulations
, Shri Gupta , for this initiative !
This is , indeed , good
development and reinforces my following suggestion / blog :
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Sunday, 14 February 2016
As I observed
in my earlier blog ( 05 Feb 2016 ), Theodore Levitt wrote in his seminal
essay," Marketing Myopia " :
If
you don't obsolete yourself , someone else will . So keep asking yourself :
What business are we in ?
Levitt
gives example of American Railroads , which failed to ask themselves this
question and got obsolete by American Car manufacturers and American Airlines .
No more people wanted to travel by trains !
Whereas
it may take 10/20 years before Car Manufacturers themselves get obsolete ( by
manufacturers of Virtual Reality / Augmented Reality / Holographic / Hepatic
devices and web-services - making travelling unnecessary ) , according to me ,
taxi-rickshaw Meter Manufacturers are in the danger of getting obsolete ,
within the next TWO YEARS !
Expect
some Indian Start-Up to come up with a digital taxi meter ( to be called ,
DigiMet ? ), resembling a 8" tablet , with a screen on both the
sides , visible to both , the driver and the passenger
DigiMet
will be integrated with :
*
GPS based Google Map
*
Mobile App ( called , FareCalc ? ) downloaded from the web site of the
Authority fixing " Tariff " ( RTO ? )
Passengers
will also need to download / install , FareCalc app on their smart phones
As
requested by the passenger , taxi driver will enter the destination location ,
in DigiMet
Immediately , DigiMet will display the following routes to the
desired destination :
*
Shortest route ( distance-wise )
* Fastest route ( time wise ) , taking into account the
traffic conditions on different routes
DigiMet
will also display , the amount of " fares " payable for each route (
also displaying tariff : Rs per Km )
Now
it is the passenger's turn to select / choose the route that he wants the
driver to take
The
taxi / rickshaw will start only thereafter !
At
the end of the journey , passenger will have the options to pay the fare ,
*
In cash
*
By entering his Credit Card details into the DigiMet , or
*
Through his Mobile Wallet ( using NFC ? )
The
Mobile App will also need to have a provision for any " Waiting Time
" charges to be added
When the
destination is reached , DigiMet will display :
*
Distance travelled
*
Time taken
*
Waiting Time ( if any )
*
RTO approved tariff ( Rs per Km )
*
Fare amount payable
Any revision
in the tariff will get updated automatically in DigiMet as also on the smart
phone of passenger
For
taxis / rickshaws running on Hybrid fuel ( producing less Co2 ) or Electric
Vehicles ( zero emission ) , both , the driver and the passenger will get
" Carbon Credits " , which will also get displayed on the DigiMet as
also on the FareCalc Mobile App on the smart phone of the passenger ( @ 20 % of
the fare payable ? )
These
amounts will get transferred to their respective Jan Dhan Bank Accounts ( thru
DTB ) , every quarter
I
suppose some variation of DigiMet / FareCalc can be introduced in all State
Transport buses and intra-city Municipal buses
I
hope , the current manufacturers of taxi - rickshaw meters are asking
themselves :
What
business are we in ?
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
hemenparekh.in / blogs
15
May 2016
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