Trained drivers, medical supplies in cabs: Ambulance-taxi kick-starts in Delhi
Very soon, on Delhi roads, you'll find ambulance-taxis: cabs equipped with medical supplies, whose drivers have basic first-aid knowledge. With India responsible for 5L road crashes annually, in which 1.5L die, this initiative is heartening. Provided by Gurugram-based Wagon Cab, it'll be restricted to Delhi for now, but will be extended to other cities if the pilot project gets encouraging reception.
Free service for customers, drivers to get paid Rs. 500
Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari inaugurated the services yesterday. Under India's 'first-of-its-kind' service, 200 cabs were deployed for the initial phase. For customers, it's a free service, but drivers, who have been trained by doctors, will be paid Rs. 500 for every trip. In this initiative, Wagon Cab is backed by an NGO, Das Foundation, and a few MNCs.
'We're looking forward to make roads of Delhi-NCR safer'
"Time plays a crucial role in all our lives, especially in the context of road accidents, with the launch of Hospital Wagon, we are looking forward to (make) the roads of Delhi-NCR safer," said Uttam Bose, the CEO and co-founder of Wagon Cab.
But cabs will lack emergency medical equipment like oxygen cylinders
"Most of the drivers spend maximum time on roads. They are (the) real ambassadors of road safety, and with their help, a lot can be achieved," said Yogita Bhayana, Founder, Das Foundation. She added the drivers were trained by doctors from Yashoda Super Speciality Hospital, Ghaziabad. However, the cabs will not have emergency medical equipment like oxygen cylinders or blood pressure measuring device.
A brief note on Wagon Cab, the company behind ambulance-taxis
Founded in April'17 by Bose and Arpan Aggarwal, Wagon Cab is bootstrapped, which means the entrepreneurs started the company with little capital. And within a short time, it's taking Ola and Uber head-on, mostly due to just one feature: it doesn't have surge pricing, waiting or cancellation charges, and per-minute ride charge for consumers, like the other two. It added outstation trips recently.
