While corporate transportation renters of India are piling up palettes of grievances against the slipshod behavior of the onduty pooling drivers, Ashwin Trivedi (Director, Pluto Travels India) puts up a better argument to approach the raging issue. He says, “A thorough market research taught us that poor waging and lack of proper conduct-training is severely affecting the goodwill of the industry”. Resultantly, Pluto Travels India is providing a transportationfleet operated by government certified (RTO insurance), police verified & well groomed drivers with defensive driving skills, stressing upon safety, reliability and luxury.

After serving in the hospitality industry for 11 years, Ashwin, an automotive enthusiast, incepted Pluto in 2004 to cater the car rental segment, aiming high to provide professional and tailor made services. From a humble beginning with just two cars, he gradually expanded his fleet to 150, ranging from economy (sedans like Etios and other similar vehicles) to luxury & royal segments (Mercedes, BMW and so forth). The fleet of cars are mostly brand new, and others are not used beyond three years. They are all well equipped with every car essential(mineral water, daily newspaper, tissue paper, fire extinguishers, panic buttons and more) for enhancing the customer experience.

More than just a car hiring agency, Pluto offers complete mobility solutions with 24x7

services for 365 days, with flexible payment methods like online booking, on-road card swiping, and contact billing & credit facilities for corporates. It has also deployed GPS trackers in the driver's mobile to locate their whereabouts and keep the passengers & bookers on the same page. All of its drivers can communicate in English, are well aware of drop destinations and even provide guide assistance for international travelers on-demand. After each ride, feedback forms are circulated, from which pain points are curated & analyzed to improve the services for better travel experience. Owing to such liberal offerings, this Pune-based company is today positioned among the top car rental giants as the favorite partner for top corporate clientele & five star hotels and was nominated for the Dare to Dream Business Awards by Zee Business.

More than just a car hiring agency, Pluto offers complete mobility solutions with 24x7 services for 365 days with flexible payment methods

Tight Contingency Plans
Ensuring a proper fleet maintenance to deliver a hassle-free experience, Pluto’s cars are serviced by authorized dealers and their tires are changed after every 60,000 KM, ensuring seamless travel experience. Ashwin states, “We also provide back-up facility in case of breakdown or any minor accident, within 1.5 hours wherever the car may be”. Further, to manage any hazards on the go, drivers attend rigorous safety trainings through third party agencies.

On the flip side, Pluto also provisions the drivers with a goodpay, sufficient resttime and social security(all drivers are ESIC fund holders). Ashwin avers “We also avail a driver cum owner option, where in after four years of service, they can get the ownership of the car by paying in routine installments to the company for the next three years”.

Furthermore, Pluto is coming-up with software guided ride hailing solutions with an application, ‘Convenience at Your Door Step’, for the drivers, guests and back office. Thanks to such proactive endeavors, Pluto is experiencing an annual growth of 30 percent and envisaging its revenue to spiral up to Rs.150 crore by 2022. Ashwin concludes, “Currently functional in Mumbai, Pune & Bangalore and catering PAN India, we are about to open branch offices in other metros in near future and wish to extend our services to the global market as well”.