From sanitary pads to Wi-Fi, this ‘Superman’s’ auto has it all

Sanitary napkins, a fan, Wi-Fi, water bottles, a small TV screen, a CCTV camera, and even books that help people learn Kannada in five languages- English, Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, and Malayalam; these are the last things one would imagine finding in an autorickshaw. But Manivel C.’s autorickshaw has them all.

Among the many stickers inside the vehicle, the one which says, “Free rides for pregnant women and dialysis patients within 10 km,” stands out.

Free rides for pregnant women, dialysis patients

The idea began in 2017, when Mr. Manivel’s wife was pregnant. They didn’t own a two-wheeler, and getting an autorickshaw for hospital visits was often a struggle. Many drivers refused short-distance rides. Many times, the couple walked close to a kilometre from their home in Vijayanagar to G.T. Mall, the nearest landmark from where they could finally get an auto. The same thing happened during her delivery and those days, he said, stayed with him.

“At that time, app-based auto services had not picked up, so booking a ride was not as convenient as it is now. I would often go to look for an auto while my wife would wait at home, but most drivers refused short-distance trips or were unwilling to enter areas because of narrow lanes. We would usually walk till the G.T. Mall,” he said.

Two years later, when Mr. Manivel bought his own autorickshaw, he decided that no one in a similar situation should have to face that. Every pregnant woman he meets now travels for free.

The decision to include dialysis patients came after a close friend, also an auto driver, developed kidney failure. Each hospital visit cost him around ₹1,500, and the transport charges added to his already large medical expenses. “It was getting very difficult for him. That’s when I thought even they shouldn’t have to worry about the ride,” he said.

Every month, Mr. Manivel spends about ₹4,000 to ₹5,000 from his earnings to maintain his auto, restock, and keep everything in working order .

“People get in after a long day at work - tired and stressed and slowly start noticing the details around them. Someone spots the Wi-Fi sign; another picks up a Kannada book or finds a water bottle. Small things like these lift their mood. Many end up talking to me about how I thought of all this, and some even say it gives them ideas that if such creativity can fit inside a three-wheeler, they too can do something new in their own line of work,” he said.  

Memorable experience

Recalling his memorable experiences with the customers, Mr. Manivel said that during the recent IPL season, a passenger began watching the match on the small screen inside his auto and refused to get down until it ended. The short trip from Vijayanagar to Sadashivanagar turned into a three-hour ride, where the two watched the match together, and the passenger paid ₹3,000.

Mr. Manivel, who calls himself the ‘Superman’, lost both his parents when he was four and grew up by himself at Kallakurichi in Tamil Nadu. After studying till class 8, he moved to Bengaluru to find work. He didn’t know Kannada then, but learned it by talking to people. The people would often say ‘super’ whenever he did something well. The word stuck with him. “Everything I did, people said super, so I started calling myself Superman,” he said.

“Moreover, losing a parent is painful, imagine losing both. In that situation, I found my own way, built a respectable life, and chose to make others happy. That’s what Superman is all about,” he added.

To soon launch his own app

Now, Mr. Manivel is taking his ‘super auto’ concept a step further. Inspired by a similar initiative in Hyderabad, he has created his own app, Super Auto. With help from YouTube tutorials and a few developers, he began building a platform where other autorickshaw drivers can register, provided they equip their vehicles with the same facilities as his.

The app, set to launch in a few months, will charge about ₹30 more than the regular base fare. Mr. Manivel said he will be its CEO and will verify each registered vehicle and driver.

Having seen how commuters readily pay extra for AC coaches, sleeper buses, or premium seats, he wondered why autorickshaws couldn’t offer a similar experience. “If people are willing to spend a little more for comfort elsewhere, why not for a premium auto?” he said.