“Meter Jam” is the new buzz word among quite a few commuters in Mumbai this week. The Meter Jam campaign is the brainchild of three advertising professionals in Mumbai, who are using the power of online campaigning and social media, including Facebook and Twitter, to call upon commuters in Mumbai to boycott auto-rickshaws and taxis on August 12
Why was this campaign launched?
The idea behind the boycott campaign started as a reaction to the problems caused by auto-rickshaw and taxi drivers in the city, such as frequent refusals and overcharging by using tampered meters, with the objective of instigating collective action — if only for a day — among Mumbai’s citizens in protest against driver behavior. The campaign’s Facebook tagline reads, “To display the power of public and shake the auto-taxi-dadagiri system, this 12th August, Mumbai decides to ditch autos and taxis and bring the meter to a halt.” (In Hindi, dadagiri refers to bossy and overbearing behavior.)
Sucess story of this campaign
Though intended initially for Mumbai, Meter Jam has received widespread support in other cities as well, including Bangalore and Delhi, where similar calls for boycott of services are gaining steam. So far, the campaign has garnered support from close to 40,000 people on its official website and more than 25,000 supporters on its Facebook page, which is growing by the hour. In addition to city commuters, the campaign has also gained support from NGOs, such as Action for good Governance and Networking in India (AGNI) and International Consumer Rights Protection Council (ICRPC), who are backing the boycott “as a protest against erring taxis and auto-rickshaws.” Interestingly, it has spawned a new terminology called “jammers,” referring to commuters that pledge support for Meter Jam and boycott auto-rickshaw and taxi services, under the condition that they follow a code of conduct, known as “Jammers Code.”
Outcomes expected
Though a boycott campaign may unintentionally be also affecting safe and responsible drivers not engaging in erring behavior, it would certainly be hoped that it provides a wake-up call to the regulatory authorities to delve deeper into how current policies may be leading to improper driver behavior and what can be done to improve auto-rickshaw and taxi services for the large share of urban citizens relying on them, and the drivers that depend on them for their livelihood.
Questions for comments:
When is meter jam 2 scheduled?
Do you think these campaigns actually help solve ordinary citizen's problems?
Meter Jam 2 happened yesterday i.e.12/10/2010.
ReplyDeleteThese campaigns do help increase awareness and demand the attention of the authorities.
I think it will definitely help. This is a desperate measure taken in the interest of the beleaguered commuters, at least autowalas will be wary due to this activity, it still needs to gain momentum...awareness should spread.....
ReplyDeleteOne such campaign is not enough. we need many more such campaigns.
ReplyDeleteBut the people should unite for the cause. Although 1st meterJam ws claimed 2 b a success, ws der a 100% success. i don think so. but wen i ask myself whther v cn mak it close to that...i think v can....if willingly or unwillingly we support a Bandh called by some political outfit...v cn def support such a cause.
if v c d exmple of RTO page on fb. they strtd it as a publicity gimmik 2 mak ppl aware....wen ppl likd d idea they tried 2 mov out...but wer caught by the media n public n were forced 2 come bak....
If we really want we can make the difference.
The question is whether we really want it.