Rootin product head Akshat Bansal tells us how Rootin will make the life of daily commuters easy. How did the idea of Rootin come up? Bansal: It was while waiting for a train at a station I realized, I wish there was something to tell me where the train has reached. Honestly, no one likes standing at the station for hours without any valid information. For how long will we depend on the announcements made at stations? They are passé. How will this app aid Mumbai travelers? Bansal: It shows real-time schedules for all the trains. Not only does it help to find out when the train will reach you, you can also keep track of the locations as you travel. Check into the train you want to board and it will tell you all the destinations you stop at. Even if you sleep during the journey, the app will wake you up when your destination arrives. So no more missing out on the station if you fall asleep in the train? Bansal: Yes! Absolutely. Rootin alarm will slap the sleep out of your system (laughs). How many people have downloaded the app so far? Bansal: 9000 and yes there is a lot of excitement about it as there is no app for local transport in Mumbai. A peek into the future… Bansal: We are planning to bring a gamefication feature where people will get points for checking in. They will also earn points for suggesting the apps to their fellow travelers. And local trains is not the only avenue Bansal plans to explore. Local buses will soon come under the Rootin umbrella.
