From Now Onwards Rapido drivers will not only take customers to their destinations… they will also be guides who will explain Indian history…The AP Tourism Department partners with Rapido for a’Guide-cum-Driver’ training agreement.
RAJA PENTAPATI
AP.BUREAU CHIEF
MARCH 3 BHARAT NEWS
(Five-Star Rating News service by Google)
AMARAVATI: Usually, when you board an auto or cab, the driver’s job is only to take you to your destination. But now, the auto or cab driver you board on the streets of Vijayawada is not just a driver for you..
A wonderful guide who explains our history too! With the aim of transforming drivers who simply take passengers to their destinations into ‘ambassadors’ who explain our culture, the Andhra Pradesh Tourism Department and leading ride-hailing company ‘Rapido’ have launched a new chapter in the tourism sector with the ‘Driver-cum-Guide’ training program at the Visakhapatnam Partnership Summit.
This innovative program, which was first undertaken experimentally (pilot project) in India, has started in Vijayawada.
The agreement, signed by Chief Minister Nara Chandrababu Naidu, Tourism Minister Kandula Durgesh, officials Ajay Jain and Amrapali Katala, and Rapido co-founder Pawan Guntupalli, aims to transform local drivers into tourism ambassadors.
The two-day training, conducted under the auspices of Executive Director (Projects) Seshagiri Rao and Marketing Chief Executive Officer Padmarani Seela at the Tourism Department office in Autonagar, Vijayawada, covered topics such as providing knowledge about tourist destinations,
understanding the use of ‘Bhashini’ app and Google Translate to communicate with foreign tourists while connecting with technology, providing skills to explain the uniqueness of our historical monuments in an interesting way in the form of stories (special storytelling course) in collaboration with ‘Jignyasa Artverse’ to impress tourists,
providing a grasp of the historical background of places like Buddhist Circuit, Amaravati, Nagarjunasagar, giving instructions to behave politely with tourists coming to the state, and following safety standards.
It is now easier for tourists to identify the 280 drivers (32 cab and 248 auto drivers) who have completed the training. A special icon called “Tourist Guide” has been made available in the Rapido app. With this, tourists can choose certified guide-drivers and travel safely with confidence.
This project is being carried out as part of the Challenge Based Destination Development Program undertaken for Nagarjunasagar under the Union Ministry of Tourism’s ‘Swadeshi Darshan’ scheme. The coalition government is preparing to expand this training to the cities of Tirupati and Visakhapatnam soon.
Andhra Pradesh
