Yatri Sathi brings back yellow taxis. But does Bengal govt’s app-cab service work?
Telegraph | 5 March 2025
Finding a cab Kolkata on weekday mornings can be a bit like the Indian share markets in the time of Donald Trump. On some days, there’s a cab two minutes from your location, and on others it is like finding an oasis in the Sahara.
While the city has a fleet of application-based cab services — like Uber, Ola and inDrive, the travel predicament is real. Not to forget the flat refusals from the good old ‘No Refusal’ taxis, or quoting exorbitant fares.
The emerging app-based cab service Yatri Sathi, managed by the Bengal government, has a USP to offer — availability of yellow and white taxis (AC and non AC). Yes, the Bengal government is reportedly set to introduce 3,000 yellow taxis – to replace the iconic yellow Ambassadors of yore – and last week a fleet of 20 such vehicles was inaugurated by the transport minister. These are not Ambassadors, but Maruti vehicles.
This caught our attention, and I decided to give it a try. While I did not get any yellow taxi – there is no option to choose – I did get three white and blue ones.
What I experienced was a mix bag of commendable safety measures and erratic pricing.
But let’s start with the primary factor — are Yatri Sathi cabs easily available, and how are the navigation skills of the drivers?
Are Yatri Sathi cabs easily available?
I first tried to book a cab on March 3 around 10 am, followed by two more trials on the evening of the same day, and on March 4. I was pleasantly surprised. The map shows the number of cars available in my location.
There have been no refusals so far either, and the drivers have been able to reach the location on time.
One good practice that the Yatri Sathi drivers follow is, they call as soon as the trip is booked to understand the location and know the landmarks.
The three experiences that I had involved minimum phone calls. And I reached on time.
Plus for navigation, minus for cleanliness
Like some other cab services such as Uber and Ola, each booked ride on Yatri Sathi gets a unique One Time Password (OTP). The navigation works smoothly too, which is another plus for Yatri Sathi.
Among the minuses, the first and foremost is the condition of the cabs. While they look spick and span from outside, the ones I travelled in had the seats torn, the springs didn’t work.
For someone like me, who suffers from bouts of nausea, uncomfortable seats add to the woes.
The second minus is cleanliness. The cabs are dusty enough to make you sneeze.
Do Yatri Sathi cabs have safety measures?
The cabs have SOS buttons on both sides. Pressing on the SOS button alerts the primary contacts set by the rider and the police. An SOS button (blue with a white plus sign) is also available on the app that at the count of five seconds blows a siren and informs the trusted contacts and the police, as well as the security team of Yatri Sathi.
A rider can also record audio and call the safety team from the app. Between pressing the siren button, there is a buffer time of a minute before the Yatri Sathi safety team reacts. They keep calling until the rider receives and informs the reason behind pressing the siren.
A rider is also given the option to click on ‘Mark Ride As Safe’.
As a woman who travels around the city for work, this was a huge plus for me, especially because of a harrowing incident from another app-based cab a few years ago.
Yatri Sathi: Not just for taxis
Yatri Sathi is not quite like other app-based cab services because you can also book bus tickets, bike taxis, rental cabs and ambulances.
There is also an additional facility of parcel delivery, along with booking tickets for popular Kolkata hotspots like the Millenium Park Shipping Jetty, the Alipore Zoo, Alipore Museum, Nicco Park, Eco Park, Aircraft Museum and Rabindra Tirtha.
The app has a Live Stats section which shows app service related information like the completed trips, online searches about Yatri Sathi, and the driver’s earnings along with the conversion rate of the current date as well as overall.
A rider can change the default language, and add often visited locations as favourites too. The Personal Details section of the app has an editable section titled Assistance Required (Person with Disability) as well, making the app accessibility friendly.
Is Yatri Sathi pocket friendly?
There’s one problem that eclipses the user-friendly features of Yatri Sathi — the erratic pricing.
The first trip that I booked on March 3 showed around Rs 500 from Beleghata to Prafulla Sarkar Street for a non AC taxi. A few minutes later, the price dropped to Rs 189.
In the evening, too, the price from Prafulla Sarkar Street to Beleghata remained around Rs 500, while on Uber I could get an AC cab at around Rs 250.
Another negative is, while I could choose to pay cash or via UPI at the end of the rides, the drivers were not pro digital payment and preferred cash.
The verdict: Is Yatri Sathi worth using?
My vote goes for keeping the app installed for two distinct reasons — less wait time and the safety protocols.
It would be a winner if the prices could be checked.