Auto rickshaws with seatbelts? Coming soon in Bengaluru, says Rapido

Auto-tech aggregator Rapido on Friday announced that it is equipping auto-rickshaws in Bengaluru with seatbelts as a part of its nation-wide safety campaign. With this step, it aims to reduce the risk of fatalities and injuries in case of accidents such as sudden stops or collisions. Apart from this, the company has also implemented a four-step background verification process for its driver captains to ensure safety of passengers.

For female riders, the company says that it uses a unique information-masking feature in order to protect their privacy and identity. Its app also offers live ride tracking with access to granular latitudinal and longitudinal data and round-the-clock on-ground support for shared rides. “The Rapido app’s safety features ensure passengers feel safe, secure and well-protected throughout their ride," said Pavan Guntupalli, Co-founder of Rapido Auto.

Rapido Auto has implemented other several safety measures in its app to facilitate safe travel for passengers and captains. These include mandatory safety training for riders, regular vehicle maintenance checks and real-time tracking of rides. The company claims that it has been made mandatory for all Rapido drivers to complete a Learning Module System and Training Exercise learning customer-appropriate behaviour, road safety training and operational training.

Rapido has previously conducted safety awareness programs across the country in collaboration with city traffic police departments. The initiatives involved CPR and basic life support training for drivers as well as a mime program to demonstrate how crucial road safety is at heavy traffic junctions in cities such as Gurgaon, Hyderabad, Chennai, Bengaluru, Vijayawada and Madurai.

Road safety continues to remain a major challenge in the country and Rapido says that it will continue collaborating with the police and allied stakeholders in the future to conduct more such road safety programs. “We truly believe that road safety is an important concern today…," Guntupalli added.