30 Are State-sponsored ride-hailing apps the answer? Maybe

Ride-hailing apps have long been among the most detestable of all app categories for their pricing and pay-out policies. They’ve often overcharged users and underpaid drivers.

One would think the natural progression of this was the demise of ride-hailing apps to be replaced by waving for taxis like the naughts but the government of Karnataka, India, seems to want to step in and offer a state-run app instead. From the article:

The government app becomes all the more significant after Namma Yatri, initially endorsed as an app by and for the driver community with the support of Bengaluru’s Auto Rickshaw Drivers’ Union (ARDU), was recently disassociated from the union. It is now being run by a private company like other ride-hailing apps.

The problems with this are obvious: government apps have never been put together half decently. Just open any government app in India and you’ll notice they are subpar. But the bigger problem is funding: how did the government do what private ride-hailing apps couldn’t? No doubt they plan to undercut them with slim profit margins, but there also can’t be no profits at all because then we need to ask who’s taking care of this. Will this be on the tax payer again?

I’m weary but I welcome the move if only as a pilot project.