Chat with a Smart taxi driver – Listen not only to customers but employees too
I landed at Delhi Airport at 10 am in the morning, and as usual rushed to my favorite taxi service counter– MERU cabs.
I am using them since last 5 years and have never changed them….The ease of booking online and 15 seconds transaction at Airport counter to get a cab is great motivator and pain of coordinating with my driver is not required. The only time I used Mega cabs is few days back when MERU drivers went to strike.
But since now last couple of years I am thinking of changing service, only reason being quality of vehicle, but both MEGA and MERU cabs are at worse condition and the day a new service comes – I know many people share my feeling.
I was curious and asked the Driver “How you will cope – if customer moves to another service”?
Interesting Response I got – “if new service comes we will be the first one to Shift” (so if you are investor in Meru cabs you know what you need to do!!)
I asked – What is the reason for bad conditions of Cars?
Response was – Poor maintenance by company
I asked – Why company will be doing Poor maintenance – It will harm them only?
Response was – One corruption at maintenance Team and second on Maintenance day also taxi drivers are charged their daily charge (for uninitiated The model for these cabs services is drivers are charged Rs 1200 per day and all earnings above this amount they can keep, fuel is their responsibility and Maintenance is by company).
I was shocked to hear this – Maintenance Process penalizes drivers to keep cabs in good conditions – have you heard this before? This is the key reasons for these cabs deteriorating so fast.
He also suggested company should adopt a process that all the parts changed should be handed over to cab drivers for depositing at separate center so fraud can be reduced, also it will highlight the fraud happening in maintenance process by use of fake and low quality Chinese parts being used.
After this conversation I was wondering – what is stopping MERU to implement these simple steps – aren’t they common sense item?
As entrepreneur – what are your views on above incident –Do you agree with suggestions – will you implement them if you are owner of MERU or let the customer slip?