Follow traffic rules, get discount coupons in return

Could there be a better catch? Pune cops have tied up with Swiggy and Zomato to reward good Samaritans with discount coupons.

We've seen an array of brands trying to educate commuters on road safety in their respective communications in the past. Be it Mumbai Police's quirky tweets to mark Road Safety week or Hyundai's Shah Rukh Khan -starrer #BeTheBetterGuy campaign, the brands tend to invest a fortune on such communications.

Here's something a little different from what all we've seen so far as the Pune traffic police give it a freebie-ish twist. Under the Aabhar Yojana, the Pune traffic cops have been identifying law-abiding commuters and motorists and treating them with discount coupons from Swiggy and Zomato worth up to 50 per cent on the spot.

As reported by the Pune Mirror, the scheme was launched on June 14 to reward citizens who carry their automobile documents properly and has already proved to be hot with Puneris. About 10,000 coupons and discount vouchers have already been handed out to law-abiding commuters.

However, this reminds us of a similar initiative undertaken by the Hyderabad police last month in a bid to boost awareness on following traffic rules as part of a program called "Patrol for Happy Driving." Stickers and certificates of appreciation were distributed to people following traffic rules as a token of recognition.

Nikhil Rungta

Nikhil Rungta, ex MD Intuit (former CMO - Google, Reliance, Jio, Yatra) says that Aabhar Yojana or the Thank You Scheme of the Pune Traffic Police is a first-of-its-kind and a great example of public-private-partnership (PPP) as he can't remember seeing a government department running a rewards program for citizens. "What I find truly amazing is that it is an initiative wherein citizens are being rewarded for their 'good' behaviour; usually, it is all about being penalised for errant acts. What's more, this scheme also provides an incentive for changing bad behaviour (read: breaking traffic rules) into good behaviour," he explains.

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Moreover, Rungta feels that it is a win-win partnership for brands like Swiggy and Zomato, as they get an opportunity to 'do good' for society and also get to acquire new customers without spending on expensive ad campaigns. "There's also a possibility of the whole initiative going viral, giving them additional word of mouth," he points out.

"Given the success of the scheme I really wish more government departments will come up with similar schemes - imagine getting coupons for keeping Bharat swachh," he signs off.