Alappuzha: The state government's online taxi system, Kerala Savari, is making a comeback. To facilitate this, the Secretary of the Local Government Department has directed local bodies to set up prepaid taxi counters at major travel centres.

The project is being implemented through the Namma Yatri app, developed by the Moving Tech agency. The government’s intervention is aimed at preventing fleecing by private online taxi companies.

Local bodies have been instructed to make the necessary arrangements at airports, railway stations, KSRTC stands, prominent temples, and other key locations.

A meeting was held under the chairmanship of the Secretary of the Department of Employment and Skill Development regarding the project. All secretaries of the departments concerned participated. Institutions including Kochi Metro Rail Limited assured full co-operation.

The Moving Tech agency has implemented the online taxi system in Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, West Bengal, and Odisha. They also operate a service in Kochi under the name Yatri, which receives 300–400 trips per day. The government will not incur any cost in implementing the project.

The government had launched an online taxi system called Kerala Savari in 2022. It was implemented on a trial basis in Thiruvananthapuram. However, it failed due to technical issues related to the app. The project is now being revived by selecting a new agency, having learnt from the previous shortcomings.