If there are two major problems in New Delhi, it’s safety of women and traffic. After the Nirbhaya incident, women in India, especially in the NCR region have been on the cautious side.
Additionally, Delhi was voted as the most polluted city in the world recently and the Arvind Kejriwal led government is trying many experiments to help curb the problem. The newly effected rule on allowing odd-even numbered cars on alternative days has met with mixed reactions.
Zipgo, the on-demand shuttle app has now come up with something that tackles both – A women only shuttle service in for Gurgaon and National Capital Region. The ZipGo women-only service was flagged off by Navdeep Singh Virk, Commissioner of Police, Gurgaon and Saurabh Singh, Joint Commissioner of Police, Gurgaon at an event in Gurgaon.
ZipGo will be operating a smartphone-based on-demand fleet of 100 vehicles covering all of Gurgaon with routes connecting Gurgaon to Faridabad, Manesar, Dwarka and part of South Delhi. ZipGo fleet will have the capacity of carrying 10,000 passengers every day which can help take up to 10,000 personal vehicles off the roads of Delhi and Gurgaon, thereby helping reduce traffic congestion and pollution. “Women safety and traffic are perhaps the biggest every day concerns for citizens and police alike. ZipGo addresses both these challenges with an innovative, technology based approach. Hence, we are delighted to launch ZipGo services in Gurgaon. I strongly believe that this service will not only ease commuting for women but also help in making a difference to traffic situation in the city. We congratulate ZipGo on their launch today.” said Mr. Neeraj Virk, Commissioner of Police, Gurgaon.
Speaking about the need for a bus service for women, Co-founder Jitender Sharma told OfficeChai, “ZipGo’s mission is to provide a reliable, comfortable and air-conditioned mass transportation option for daily commute and help reduce the usage of personal vehicles. Every morning and evening, millions of women in Delhi NCR spend an average of 2 hours to get to work or get back home. This daily commute is perhaps the most stressful part of their everyday life. We want to replace that stress with the comfort of a door-to-door commute option at a fraction of the cost of a taxi or driving one’s own car, and thus enable our members and their families to live a healthier and happier life”.
Jitender also added that “Commuters avoid buses due to the lack of clean, comfortable vehicles; inconvenient routes or stops and overcrowding. Longer journey time is another big reason people do not use buses. Using crowd-sourced routes, timings and stops; taking the shortest direct non-stop route; providing clean, comfortable AC buses with guaranteed seats solves all those problems and allows ZipGo to provide an on-demand experience but at one-fourth the prices of a taxi.”
Zipgo is looking to solve a problem that India, especially in the NCR region has been facing for long. Introduced at a mere Rs. 29 for a ride, Zipgo’s also offering generous referral rewards to help get more women to embrace the initiative.