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Ridesharing in Bangladesh: Where is it going?

Ridesharing in Bangladesh.

Long gone are the days when people had to rely on the mercy of the CNGs or rickshaws for commuting on the road. The fares were skyrocketing and the availability was very limited. Even then it was unclear how open the people will be to new disruptive solutions such a ridesharing. It was unclear how well people will adapt to new ways to traveling.

Just when people were getting accustomed to the helplessness of the uncertain commuting mediums in Bangladesh, came the ridesharing apps to the rescue. The idea of adapting to new technology among the Bangladeshi people took a fully new shape. The community grew slowly, and then suddenly went on an upward spike where the consumer behavior of the country changed at a fast pace.

One of the apps that helped change the commuting behavior of the Bangladeshi people is the app called “Pathao”. Established in 2015, in the beginning the app was merely only used for delivery services and even then the number was quite low. The CEO of Pathao Ltd, Hussain M Elius, along with the co-founders Shifat Adnan (CTO, Pathao Ltd) and Ahmed Fahad (VP of Product, Pathao Ltd) accompanied by a small team of dedicated hard working and brilliant minds started the company with high hopes.

Little did they know, this app was going to change the way Bangladeshis think and move forever. The app that started as a delivery service has now become a lifestyle app that provides not only ridesharing service, but also online food delivery, parcel delivery and e-commerce solutions.

Pathao’s contribution as a ridesharing service:

As mentioned in the beginning of this article, people earlier had to rely heavily on the mercy of the CNG drivers or rickshaw pullers. But with the introduction of the app, Pathao has enabled them to get transportation with just the tip of their hand. All they have to do is now have a smartphone, install the app, register as a user and get ready to move!

No hassle of bargaining:

The Pathao app has its own system of determining your fare depending on your pickup point and destination. As of now, the base fare for its bike service is Tk 25. Along with its bike sharing service, it is also well known for its car sharing service. Again, there is the convenience of choosing Car Lite (the more affordable choice) and Car Plus ( the premium choice). The base fare for Car lite is Tk 40 and Car Plus is Tk 50. Both the services come with clean, comfortable, air conditioned cars,   all mandatory to be part of the ridesharing service.

Pathao app ridesharing interface
Pathao app ridesharing interface

No hardship of roaming around:

In the Pathao app, all you have to do is set your destination and confirm the pickup point. Now just sit back and relax. The appointed rider or captain will contact you and come to your destination to pick you up. Now you don’t have to roam around the street and ask the vehicle drivers either if they want to go to your destination or not.

Pathao rider found notification.
Pathao rider found notification.


Secured and Responsible:

All the users and riders of the app have insurance. This way the users and the riders safety is always ensured. Not only that, the app has a rating system where the riders/captains and the users can rate each other according to certain parameters. The higher the scores are, the more reliable are the users and riders. This results in both the riders and users always trying to maintain a high score by being more responsible and fulfill the parameters for which they will be given higher ratings

To know all about Pathao’s safety policy, click here.

Pathao Safety Coverage Policy.

The benefits don’t end here. There are numerous other reasons for which people have started to use ridesharing apps in Bangladesh. Reaching destinations quickly, affordability and convenience are the main reasons. It can be safely said that this new tech boom is the “New Future” of the country, trying to eradicate the unnecessary transportation related problems people of Bangladesh face. With all these new ways, Pathao is truly moving bangladesh forward.