Self-drive player sweetens the deal for commuters

The self-drive car rental market is hotting up with aggregator, JustRide, launching a new product for corporates and individual commuters which allows them to hire a car for just Rs 4,000 a week, from Monday to Friday.

Company officials say the weekly rental services, named 'Ubiq', aim to increase carpooling at the corporate level, discourage individuals from buying cars as well as reduce pollution and traffic jams. In another initiative to help drivers who cannot afford to own cars, any driver with a valid driving licence can pick a car from JustRide and drive under the Uber or Ola platform.

Speaking to Bangalore Mirror, executive director, operations, of JustRide, Bharath P Nathan says, "Unlike other players, our team is very thin with very high tech knowledge. Our prime business model is self-drive. Other than this our CEO Ashwarya Prathap Singh has come up with a unique product called 'Ubiq'."

He said besides providing an eco-friendly and cost-effective alternative, the added bonus for customers was the opportunity to try their hand at different types of cars every week. The company, which started in August 2015, has over 125 cars with over 60,000 customers who have signed up. They also have plans to augment their fleet in the near future.

According to Bharath, Ubiq has already been used by around two dozen customers since its launch on Sunday.

Currently, they have 10 renting locations in Bengaluru. There are also branches in Mumbai, Pune, and NCR. On scoring over competition, Bharath says JustRide provides value-added services like home delivery and unlimited kilometre options unlike their competitor, Zoom. Besides, all their cars are equipped with airbags and ABS (anti-lock braking system).

He said JustRide charges an affordable deposit of Rs 999 which is refundable and the maximum liability is Rs 3,000. The car rental aggregator's chief technical officer Hemant Shah says, "We have more than 65,000 customers on the city's platform who are regular customers. We have also announced zero-deposit scheme for loyal customers. We plan to add 100 cars every month."

He added that their idea to provide drivers with cars had also been a hit with more than 40 drivers already enrolled for the scheme.

JustRide is the first self-drive car rental company in India, founded by IIT Mumbai and NIT Allahabad alumni- Ashwarya Pratap Singh, Hemant Shah, Abhishek, Vasant and Amit Sahu.

WHEELS ON OFFER

Rented cars available with JustRide as part of 'Ubiq' from Monday to Friday with 500 free kms are Maruti Suzuki Ritz for `4,000 with extra kms charged `5, Honda Amaze for `4,500 with extra kms at `6 and Honda City for `5,000 with extra kms for `7. There is home delivery and pick-up. But it is exclusive of fuel.