V-Link launches 50 cabs in city
March 30, 2007 5:41 PM

Second fleet taxi operator to start service with Meru's from April 1

Fleet taxi operator V-Link Taxis Pvt. Ltd has launched 50 of its metered cabs, Meru, in the city. V-Link will be starting operations from April 1 and plans to increase its fleet to 150 by April end.

Targeting the corporate class, business and foreign travelers all Merus are air conditioned, fitted with tamper-proof digital meters and electronic printers and GPS based tracking system to enable real-time taxi location and dispatch. For complete passenger comfort the operator promises to provide basic amenities like city maps, wet wipes, bottled water and for music lovers a limited collection of CDs.

We strongly feel that a city like Mumbai needs a significant upgrade in terms of infrastructure. So, along with the state government, we are helping Mumbai to introduce a cab service to upgrade the quality of urban transport and also contribute to uplift of the community of chauffeurs who will be engaged in these operations" said Neeraj Gupta, Managing Director, the second fleet taxi operator in the city.

Olive green Merus run on Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) at a flag down charge of Rs 15 and Rs 13 per additional kilometer. V-Link has launched its fleet with Maruti Esteems and will add other premium brands as it increases its fleet.

Initially, the cabs will be available only on bookings as the fleet is small in number but as the number increases the passengers can hail a cab on the curbs too. Services like "dial-a-Meru", "SMS-a-Meru" and "Meru-on-the-net" will also be available shortly. V-Link plans to reach 150 cabs by the end of April an d seeks to further increase 1,000 by year end.

When asked how the company plans to cope with the stiff opposition from the conventional black and yellow taxis Anjan Deb, chief operating officer, responded, "Our service is for the corporate segment and business travelers, who seek total comfort in traveling."

The cabbies are on a pay roll of the company, who will be availing additional benefits including accidental insurance, medical insurance, etc. "A team of chauffeurs has been selected who fit the stringent recruitment standards of the company," Deb said. Deb also accepted that acquiring permits is an issue and said, "We should be able to get more permits of the existing one."