Blue Is Green. Review on Blue Car Rental

I am superstitious about many things. One of them is whenever I appreciate any goods or service, they fall short of my expectations and turn out to be the opposite in due course of time. Yet whatever is doing well should be praised, especially, in our country where most of the products fail to fall within the category of very high standard of customer friendliness. Therefore, perhaps at the expense of being proven wrong in the long run, I am writing this review since at present I am quite satisfied with this particular service.

I have been trying various modes of transport to and from office - from very expensive(Ola/Uber cabs/auto) to very reasonable(Metro). However, Ola/Uber services have become erratic. Metro is gradually becoming more and more crowded. Medically, it is not advisable for me to use public conveyance. While I enjoy Metro ride, which is less time consuming and I can utilize the time doing whatever I fancy, if I am lucky to get a seat, it takes a toll on my health.

It is also a fact that the National Capital Region is plagued with pollution. Government is, therefore, propagating the use of electric vehicles and Metro as alternatives to private vehicles which add to the level of pollutants in the atmosphere. Ola/Uber cabs run on CNG and thus are not an environment hazard.

But Blue has come up with electric vehicles across the National Capital Region for commercial use. At first, their rides were only Airport specific(drop and pick up). Now they are providing rentals on package basis. Comparatively cheaper to Ola/Uber, however, this service is not available in all localities. For example, it is not available where I reside but I can get a ride back home from office. But instant city rides are still not in place.

The first time I booked Blue, I found a marked difference in the quality of drivers. They are polite, courteous, open the door for you, sanitize your hands, make you feel very comfortable during the ride. Considering the human element, their may be variants, but generally, the crop seems to be well groomed. One or two turns out to be a little loquacious. But then it depends on the rider to put them in their place.

The constraint in availability of these vehicles is because of limited number of charging hubs. I was told by one of the drivers that soon they will be opening one near our locality which will enable getting rides on a regular basis from my residence. I am eagerly waiting for the same.

Be it marketing gimmick or low running cost, for first few rides, the charges were really very reasonable, to my surprise. I was given discount on each ride. But later. the rates became as competitive as Ola/Uber's. Still I prefer Blue because the drivers report before time and wait without any additional charge and do not cancel the booking on their whims and fancy which other cab drivers have a habit of.

Interestingly, in rentals the rider can add as many stops in between as required and that turns out to be cheaper. So, when I have a number of errands or works I book a Blue. I have not been able to figure out the dynamics but the ride has cost me less than one directly from office to home. However, my in between stops were within a few kilometer in my locality and not far and wide from my ultimate destination, i.e. my residence. Perhaps that works out for the service provider who is able to provide an economical service considering and comparing the Capital's higher costs.

Booking is as usual through app which obviously has to be downloaded on mobile. Nowadays, the app does show that charges towards stoppages and waiting time within ride will be an add-on yet the overall billing is not alarming. However, one must take into account that the cost of commuting across NCR is quite exorbitant compared to other cities and Metros. Reasonability, in the instant service is, measurable vis-a-vis the quality, time, vehicular congestion and availability of limited modes of transport across NCR.

The quality of vehicles provided are mostly new, big, clean with lots of leg space which suits me very well. the logo BLUE is embossed at the back of the seats. The AC also cools very fast. The drivers do not use mobile or put on loud music while driving. The cars are white in colour with blue and yellow stripes running across the body. The number plate is green in colour distinguishing the vehicles from the yellow plated ones and highlighting emission free drive. And mind it the speed maintained is 60 Km per hour which means no rash driving.

One of the drivers told me that they get one and a half hours rest during their work shift wherein the car gets adequately charged and depletion is not so much an issue during rides. But once it did happen that the driver after dropping me was worried whether the car would be able to reach the garage. But that day on-road traffic was high and the app took a longer route which also need to be factored in.

The app after every ride indicates the quantity of carbon saved by the trip. This is a feel good factor for the rider. I do not know whether the amount of saving on carbon emission is convertible into redeemable reward points or not. At least I have not done much R&D on that.

Incidentally, Blue also has quite a number of female drivers which is a significant indicator of woman empowerment. Overall, I am quite satisfied with Blue's service and hope the current standards are maintained with consistency not giving us occasions to complaint in future.