Guwahati, May 9: Zoomcar, the first self-driving car rental company in India, has forayed into the city after making its presence felt in nearly 20 cities across the country.
It started operations in the city a few weeks ago, before the festive season of Bihu, and has a fleet of about 25 cars here, out of over 3,500 cars in the country. The firm is rather pleased about the results so far. The fleet has cars ranging from hatchbacks like Ford Figo, Maruti Swift, Suzuki Baleno and Honda Jazz to sedans such as Ford Aspire and Honda City and a wide range of SUVs like Ford Ecosport, Hyundai Creta, Mahindra Scorpio and Mahindra XUV 500. A range of luxury vehicles like Ford Endeavor, Mercedes GLA and Audi Q3 are also available.
Users can book a vehicle online through its website www.zoomcar.com or a mobile application. The cost of hiring a vehicle starts from Rs 70 per hour, inclusive of fuel on a 5km-per-hour fuel package, or choose from flexible options of 10km and 15km per hour for long distances.
Speaking at the official launch today, the co-founder and CEO of the company, Greg Moran, said: "After launching Zoomcar in Calcutta and Siliguri, we are pleased to bring the ambit of our services to Guwahati, which is considered the gateway to the Northeast. Within a few days of our operations here, we have witnessed over 150 bookings with an average trip duration of eight days. People are taking our cars to Shillong, Tawang, Dawki and Cherrapunjee. Business travellers are also hiring for trips to towns like Jorhat, Tezpur and North Lakhimpur."
"Our cars are equipped with GPS-tracking systems and a device that allows keyless access through the phone that is used for booking. We can monitor the clutch, brakes and suspension systems of the vehicle remotely. In case of theft, the engine can be disabled. Round-the-clock maintenance service is also available through tie-ups with workshops of all the brands in even remote areas of the region. We are going to launch the marketplace model named Zoom Associate Program to further improve the customer experience and service quality." The company has a pick-up and drop outlet in the Ganeshguri area of the city and will increase the number of such outlets soon.
