CHENNAI: Ever been stuck in some part of Chennai, or felt a little lost, unable to find your destination? Even with all the gadgets and online information, you could still remain lost in the sea of information. But a recently launched toll-free helpline, called Routes, promises to get you just the information you need about any corner of the city.But why call Routes when all this information is already available to everyone? “We are fully aware that all this information about what route to take, bus numbers, train timings and establishment locations are already available publicly. But when you are stranded in the middle of somewhere, what you are looking for is not a whole load of information, but processed and concise information that will get you where you need to go,” says Ashwin Kumar, who started the service recently.The privately operated helpline, which became active on June 1, has already begun seeing patronage, according to Ashwin. “We have done no publicity campaigns, but we are getting a fair amount of calls every day, enough to keep us busy. That just goes to show there is a serious lack of coherent information available to you when you are out there,” says Ashwin.The staff of Routes spent painstaking trips around the city verifying first hand, information on bus routes and train availability. They claim government agencies turned down their requests for information, leaving them no choice but to do it the hard way. The result is a database that is first-hand, verified and growing by the day. The helpline is also gearing up to provide information about bus, train and flight timings in and out of Chennai.Ashwin is clear that they are not here to compete with already existing directory services. “Our helpline is a first of its kind in the city. We will have to make changes as we go along, but the core idea remains the same, that directions are just a free telephone call away,” says Ashwin. The toll free helpline number is 1800 102 0406.
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