A quiet revolution is changing how people in India book rides, and it didn’t start with Uber or Ola. Instead, it began with a local app called Namma Yatri, which is putting drivers first and changing the rules of the ride-hailing game.

Launched in 2022, Namma Yatri was built in partnership with Bengaluru’s Auto Rickshaw Drivers’ Union, fintech company Juspay, and the nonprofit Foundation for Interoperability in Digital Economy (FIDE). Unlike other platforms that take a commission from every ride, Namma Yatri allows drivers to keep the full fare. They pay a small subscription fee instead, Rs 25 per day or Rs 3.5 per ride for the first 10 rides.

To better understand drivers' needs, Juspay’s own staff even spent time working as auto drivers. Their goal was to create a fair, transparent system. Namma Yatri is now the only ride-hailing app in India that publicly shares driver earnings and trip data.

The app has expanded quickly. It now operates in more than 15 cities and handles around 190,000 rides daily. Since its launch, it has helped over 6.3 lakh drivers earn more than Rs 14775.20 all without spending heavily on advertising or offering big discounts. Its growth has been driven mostly by word of mouth and trust.

The app’s success has pushed bigger players like Ola, Rapido, and Uber to change their approach. Uber, for example, has now introduced a similar subscription model for auto drivers and no longer gets involved in fare disputes. This shift marks a big move toward giving drivers more control.

Namma Yatri’s growth also reflects wider changes in India’s digital space. It was the first ride app to join the government’s Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC) and is working with the Tamil Nadu government on a project for integrated public transport. The app has also launched a programme to bring more women into the male-dominated auto-rickshaw industry.

In 2023, Namma Yatri became its own company, Moving Tech Innovations, and raised Rs 93848.59 in 2024 from investors like Google, Blume Ventures, and Antler to grow even further.

What started as a local effort in Bengaluru has now become a national example of how to build a fairer ride-hailing system. With industry giants now following its lead, Namma Yatri is showing that real change can start from the driver’s seat.