Bots are coming! Now, Jugnoo bot lets you book a ride directly from Facebook Messenger

Jugnoo, the auto rickshaw aggregator, has announced the launch of Jugnoo Bot for Facebook users. CEO and founder Samar Singla tells Firstpost that Jugnoo has been working on the bot ever since the service was launched by Facebook. He believes that bots aren’t replacing apps but they would provide an additional channel for platforms to reach out to customers and not be limited by iOS or Android users only. Jugnoo forays into Facebook, to tap on users via the world’s largest online social networking services. The new service is developed in association with Fugu, allowing users to book a ride via the Facebook Messenger app, Facebook Messenger on Web, Jugnoo website and Jugnoo’s FB page. This means you need the app to be installed on your device. On asking about the panic button, he said the work is already in progress and it would be added soon. Talking about Jugnoo’s expansion plans, Singla adds, “Right now the focus is on Tier 2 cities of India. We are working to expand our supply in metros as well. Apart from that, we want to be present in the villages and remotest corners of the country and have already started working to achieve this goal. We also have plans to launch our services outside India.” The Jugnoo Bot will let you book a ride simply by typing a text message in Facebook messenger or clicking on ‘Book-a-Ride’ option. Jugnoo automatically authenticates users through their Facebook login details, sans the need to login into the Jugnoo account separately. The AI-based engine then detects their ride location and suggests nearby multiple locations to choose from. Users can also share their location via FB Messenger’s location button and will then share ETA and fares with users to confirm their ride. Once the ride is confirmed, a Jugnoo driver is assigned and the driver details are shared with users. The bot also allows real time tracking of the ride.