Radio Tuk Tuk Offers People Of Gurgaon A Safer Travel

THE MONTH of November 2010 saw people of Gurgaon witness the birth of an auto in a different avatar, as this was the time Gurgaon got its first independent yet fully reliable land transportation called Radio Tuk Tuk. Brainchild of a hotel management graduate turned entrepreneur, Sulabh Mehra, the name Tuk Tuk drew inspiration from the popular Thailand-based auto plying the busy roads of Thailand.

But Mehra went one step forward, positioning Radio Tuk Tuk to have a 24x7 on call service, through which Mehra claims, his autos are stationed within a reachable distance, and take quarter of an hour to reach a patron.

In an exclusive interview with merinews.com and this CJ, the 25-year-old Sulabh talked about his plans, apprehensions and the inspiration to take the road less travelled.

Since the inception, how have the reviews of Radio Tuk Tuk been?

The response of the people has been encouraging since the initiative was launched. The ridership, too, has increased over a period of time and cases of misbehaviour of drivers, too, have decreased. The fleet has now grown to such an extent that accessing a Tuk Tuk is just a matter of fifteen minutes.

What are the sociable aspects behind the launch of Radio Tuk Tuk?

Sociability was one of the prime reasons behind the launch of Radio Tuk Tuk. Auto drivers in Gurgaon are generally seen with bad eyes. Radio Tuk Tuk, since November, has many a times, through its gestures, proven the fact that the auto driver fraternity in Gurgaon is not how the people perceive them. Apart from that, Radio Tuk Tuk also believes in generation of responsibility amongst the youth who dont come with bigger aspirations. College drop outs and students out of school have played pivotal roles in giving Radio Tuk Tuk its current shape. Radio Tuk Tuk has always believed in making the transport infrastructure in Gurgaon stable enough so that no trip goes unfinished.

Before November 2010, how difficult was it for you to get auto drivers on board?

Majority of the people believe that Radio Tuk Tuk was heavily advertised before stepping up with the launch. However, the truth is, people behind the initiative personally walked up to them and apprised them of the upcoming service. For this, we went to metro stations, groups of auto drivers and held out pamphlets so as to get them onboard.

What process have you followed in order to make the drivers of Radio Tuk Tuk stand out?

The drivers of Radio Tuk Tuk underwent rigorous training from TVS. We are also contemplating to arrange an etiquette training course for the drivers with TVS as the strength of Radio Tuk Tuk has grown considerably over the last few months.