If you are a frequent traveller who doesn’t like getting into the hassle of calling for a cab to ferry you around, sign up on carswappings.com to make life easier. Shalini Saksena tells you how this trend is soon catching up
Imagine this. You are on a business trip to Indore. You get out from the airport and a personal car with a driver is there to receive you. The driver takes you to the hotel and from there to wherever you want to go — all this for no cost at all. Welcome to the world of carswappings. com.
This innovative venture is operational in 20 major cities across the country with new cities added every day. The concept that took root back in 2010 by Bharat Bagari, the co-founder, finally materialised in December 2013 when the services were launched. Since then over 30 people have registered their cars on a daily basis with 500 verified members and 1,000 members waiting in the panel.
“When the person registers their car on our website, it is necessary that we verify that the car that he is registering is in his name and that all the papers are in order. We don’t want to get into the hassle of people calling and saying that they never registered on our website. It also takes care of the fact that the car and its owner are genuine,” Bagari says.
So, how does it workIJ To begin with a person has two options of registering — one is free (no fee) and the other is on the payment of a fee of Rs 1,200. In the former, to avail of the services one has to first host before one can become the guest.
The host is a person who provides the car and the guest is the person who will avail of the car in the host’s city. However, if one wants to pay the fee, one can directly become a guest. The whole thing works on a point system. Six points are debited from the account of the guest when he requests for a car in the city he is visiting. These points are credited into the account of the host. So next time the host is travelling to a city he can exchange these points for the services he needs. But if one pays a fee a minimum of three points are credited to his account. And hence, even without being a host one can become a guest.
“People interested in carswappings need to register with details like the copy of the RC of the car, an ID proof and the fact that the car is insured. Once these documents are verified by our field officer in that city, the person becomes our member. From here on, he will either become a host or a guest,” Bagari explains.
Interestingly, it is not just those people who have a driver can become members. Even individuals with no driver can register though in a long winded way. Here, the individual will have to arrange for a driver for the period the guest needs the car. If he is unable to arrange for a driver, a call to the helpline number can be made and they will give a list of agencies from where one can arrange for one.
“The idea is to make travelling to a new city hassle free. Why should a car owner with a driver resort to travelling in a taxi in a new city. He should have the comfort of travelling with just as much ease as he would back home. Our website helps do that,” Bagari tells you.
For now, people have an option of registering free. “At the end of the day, it has to make business sense and free registration will no longer be an option,” Bagari says adding that the cost of the petrol will have to be borne by the host. In case of an accident, it will be the insurance company of the host who will foot the bill.
With the host’s driver in attendance, any worry that the guest will misuse the car by making it messy goes out of the window. Quite literally!