Karnataka Govt impounds Ola and Uber Cabs for Surge Pricing

The Karnataka government has seized cars from online cab aggregators Ola and Uber for charging their users over the government decided rate of Rs 19.5/km, reports Mint. The report cited Dr Ramegowda, Bangalore’s transport commissioner, as saying that over 30 cars had been impounded for implementing surge pricing.

We’ve reached out to Uber and Ola as well as the Karnataka transport department and will update this when we hear from them.

Surge pricing is a technique used by both Uber and Ola to increase fares (1.5x, 2x etc.) to provide drivers the incentive of keeping their cab running, while also making it available for the user, no matter how much the demand for one.

  
Government stays cab rate at Rs 19.5/km

Earlier this month, the Karnataka government banned surge pricing, as a part of its rules for online cab aggregators in the state. According to the ET report, multiple cab operators like Uber, Ola, Meru, Mega, Bangalore Taxi etc operate under the Radio Taxi Scheme and not the ‘Karnataka On Demand Transportation Technology Aggregators Rules, 2016’.

Surge pricing backfires

Last week, Uber put up a blog post explaining the need for surge pricing, reiterating what it has been saying since inception: surge pricing allows users to get cabs even on a busy day. However, users haven’t been happy. Most recently, a user saw prices as high as 7.3x in Hyderabad making it impossible for him to get a Uber cab. Despite this, the company states that ‘nearly all’ of surge pricing profits go to the drivers as part of their fares. Aman Garg and Nitish Parnami from Bangalore and Delhi, also started petitions against Ola and Uber on Change to address surge pricing, for which both got over 16,000 and 51,000 signatures respectively.

BigBasket’s pact with offline retailers to hasten deliveries

The desire to rush to the doorsteps of the consumer faster with deliveries seems to compel leading online retailers to acquire more and more market share to strengthen their leadership position. This can be observed from the planning of India’s online grocer, BigBasket, to offer delivery of goods in 60 minutes or less, through collaborations with neighbourhood stores.

BigBasket is cultivating offline partners to secure its dominance as Amazon and other electronic stores pitch themselves closer to shopper’s home. Therefore, it is aiming for significantly higher margins from its branded and co-branded categories, BigBasket will also establish co-branded pickup points as well as sell its own brand of gourmet staples at its partner stores.

For express delivery, the company has tied-up with local stores to promise delivery within an hour of at least 400 items that it has identified as household essentials. These stores will handle the delivery with their own staff, while BigBasket will offer its technology to manage inventory and will pay a service fee to the store for providing facility.

 

“BigBasket will shortly roll out partnerships with about 1,800 neighbourhood stores in Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai and Pune. The key to success is to control inventory, ensure products are delivered in time, and restrict order cancellation to a minimum”, said chief executive Hari Menon.

"We realised that about 20-30% of groceries are unplanned and immediate-need purchases, and cannot wait for the next day or even the next few hours," said Co-founder Abhinay Choudhary. BigBasket, which raised more than 300 crore in the past eight months, is in a hurry to strengthen its leadership position as other electronic stores, too, are putting up shelves online for household supplies and groceries, emerging as a key category in online retailing.

Amazon recently announced it would launch an express delivery platform in partnership with mom-and-pop stores under a scheme called 'Kirana Now'. Rival online grocers Grofers, backed by Tiger Global, and Springboard-funded Local Banya also offer express delivery.

"Delivering in such a short time is a very big opportunity to convert offline shoppers to come online," said Arvind Singhal, chairman of retail consultancy Technopak. "And since BigBasket is the category leader in the space, they will want to consolidate their position."

Midi Skirt : Enjoying the scenic Route in Croatia

I don’t think any blogger or travel writer can ever describe the beauty and vibe of Croatia in words.  All I can say about  that the sky is clear and the water is deep blue. These pics were taken when we took one long break from driving and relaxed by a small piece of beach right on the road on our way from Split to Dubrovnik. We sat on the warm sand and just stared out into the sea for an hour or so. It was the most relaxing one hour of my 17 day trip traipsing through Europe and I still remember it vividly.

We were able to finally find a bit of sun after a week of rains. So, I delved deeper into my bag and brought out this cute little skirt and lace top outfit.This OOTD is perfect for a day out in the sun and comfortable enough for a long scenic drive. I have styled it here as well. The skirt is from Romwe and the lacy top is sale find from Forever 21. I absolutely love these tan flat sandals that I found from Forever 21 ages ago.

It was pretty windy that day and I had some fun dancing in the wind that day!

Ananda Mahal - Palace Of Delights

Ananda Mahal is also famous by name of 'Palace Of Delights' that was being built in 1589 AD by Adil Shah. This is the building of two stories that was once upon a time housed by the palace ladies and now has the presence of examination bungalow, gymkhana club, and many offices along with the assistant commissioner quarters.

Architecture

This Mahal is out of the awesome monuments of the Bijapur that is about 530 kms towards the northwest side of Bangalore. This palace is being surrounded by luxuriant gardens and abundant cascades. The walls of this palace are decorated very well having large rooms along with two halls, the central hall and the frontal hall. The interiors of this palace are festooned with delightful foliations that are banquet to eyes of the tourists. Anand Mahal exhibits a slight amalgamation of present as well as the past.

How to Reach

The nearest airport available is at Belgaum that is about 205 km from this palace. Bijapur has the connection by road to Bangalore, Goa and to Belgaum. Various trains are available between Bijapur to Mumbai, Bangalore, Hospet and Vasco da Gama via Londa and Hubli.

The best time to visit Bijapur is the months between October-March.

    - The months between October- March are suitable for sightseeing around Bijapur.
    - Short tips can be done in June - September months but visitors have to watch the rainy days.
    - The months of April as well as May are very hot but one can visit the city and enjoy shopping also.

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