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Ride hailing app <keyword id="19895382" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="Uber" source="keywords" meta.keywordsubtype="org" meta.entityname="Uber" meta.hostid="261" meta.entityid="Uber">Uber</keyword> has received an aggregator licence by the <keyword id="21734294" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Delhi-Transport-Department" source="keywords" meta.keywordsubtype="org" meta.entityname="Delhi Transport Department" meta.hostid="261" meta.entityid="Delhi Transport Department">Delhi Transport Department</keyword> to operate buses in the national capital under the <keyword id="19158971" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Delhi-premium-Bus-Scheme" source="Orion">Delhi premium Bus Scheme</keyword>, the company said in a statement. With this, Delhi becomes the first state to award a licence for bus operations, while Uber becomes the first aggregator to be granted a licence under the Delhi Premium Bus scheme, the statement said. "Following a successful pilot programme, where we witnessed significant demand for buses, we are thrilled to officially introduce the convenience of Uber rides to buses in Delhi," <keyword id="21734295" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="uber-shuttle" source="keywords">Uber Shuttle</keyword> India head Amit Deshpande said. Customers will be able to pre-book seats on their preferred route by choosing the 'Uber Shuttle' option on the <keyword id="1999454" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="uber-app" source="Orion">Uber app</keyword>. The formal launch of Uber Shuttle, a bus service tailored for daily commuting needs, brings to fruition a pilot programme that was initially tested in Delhi-NCR and has been operational in Kolkata since last year under an MoU with the West Bengal government, as per the statement. Commuters will be able to pre-book seats up to a week in advance, track the live location and route of the bus, and view its expected time of arrival (ETA) -- all through the Uber app, it said. Each shuttle vehicle will be able to accommodate 19-50 passengers and will be operated by local fleet partners using Uber's technology.

Uber gets licence to operate buses in Delhi

<ul><li>Uber's CEO Dara Khosrowshahi launched public transport feature in <keyword id="66" type="LOCATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="Delhi">Delhi</keyword>. </li><li>The feature was launched in partnership with Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC). </li><li>It allows one to check schedules for the Delhi Metro, based on pricing as well as timing. </li></ul>Uber launched its public transport feature in New Delhi today. With this, India's national capital becomes the ninth city in the world and the first in Asia, to get the feature. Uber's CEO Dara Khosrowshahi launched the feature in partnership with the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation. The feature allows one to check schedules for the Delhi Metro, based on pricing as well as timing. "In our first five cities in the world, half a million users have been using the public transport system in Uber app," said Khosrowshahi at a press conference in Delhi. "DMRC is embracing technology and we want to commend them for that. India is a huge opportunity to make sure its cities are built for people and not for cars," he said. In the near future, Uber also aims to have dedicated pick up spots at metro stations, charging stations for Electric Vehicles, vehicles for physically disabled, self driving cars and bikes and more. India is a fundamental part of Uber's growth story. Profitability characteristics and business in India are improving. India's market is a gateway for the rest of the developing world, said the Uber CEO. There were also mentions of its latest product--Uber bus. "Uber bus service is a new product that we have launched <keyword id="6526136" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="18-months">18 months</keyword> ago. We are testing and learning to understand how the service works. As the product matures, it will be specifically marketed for cities like Delhi," said Khosrowshahi. Partnering with Delhi Metro, Uber hopes to offer seamless travel to users. In <keyword id="6361586" type="LOCATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="Gurgaon">Gurgaon</keyword>, Uber Moto sees 25% of its trips starting from metro stations. "We have discussed that 210 metro stations in Delhi, where Uber will have a designated pick up spots. Inside the stations too, Uber will place information desks and booking facilities," said Dr Mangu Singh, Managing Director of DMRC. Sometimes car ownership is a trap that prevents innovation, says Uber CEO Micro mobility is an exciting space for Uber, informed Pradeep Parmeswaran, the company's India head. Khosrowshahi also spoke about <keyword id="129243" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Nirmala-Sitharaman">Nirmala Sitharaman</keyword>’s latest comment on car sales being affected by the likes of Uber and Ola. “One of the enemies of innovation is established businesses. We are moving from a world of ownership to a world of services. The dream is now to have freedom. Sometimes car ownership is a trap that prevents innovation. India doesn't need to be trapped by these established models, India can be a trailblazer for other established countries,” he said. The Uber CEO also has big expectations from India. He said, “India is going to be a big source of innovation. One example is the Uber Lite app, was designed and built in India and moved to over 30 countries around the world.” Uber is also set to hire more in India. “We are very proud of the engineering and product talent based out of Bengaluru and <keyword id="6354552" type="LOCATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="hyderabad">Hyderabad</keyword>. We have a goal to double the headcount in these offices and have 1,000 people to build innovative products out of India,” said Manik Gupta, Uber's chief product officer.

Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi launches its public transport feature in Delhi, its first for Asia

<ul><li>Paid carpooling and ridesharing may be banned in Delhi by the committee in charge of reviewing the regulations of app-based cab operators. </li><li>Under the City Taxi Scheme 2017, permits only allow cab operators to pick up passengers from point A to point B, without any intermediary stops.</li><li>Considering Delhi’s parking, congestion and air quality problems, the fall out of such a ruling remains uncertain. </li></ul>The five-member committee currently reviewing the regulation of app-based cab operators like Uber and Ola in <keyword id="6358777" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="New-Delhi">New Delhi</keyword> is <a href="https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/industry/auto/auto-news/cab-pool-rides-likely-to-be-banned-in-delhi/articleshow/65976950.cms?utm_source=ETTopNews&amp;utm_medium=HP&amp;utm_campaign=TN&amp;utm_content=23&amp;from=mdr">unlikely to rule in favour of paid carpools</a>. With the national capital’s <keyword id="71724" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="traffic-congestion">traffic congestion</keyword> problems and air quality issues, the consequences of this move may have ample environmental fallouts. Under the City Taxi Scheme 2017, cabs are only allowed to pick up and drop passengers from one point to the next. Currently legal provisions only allow buses to pick up other passengers along the route and make multiple stops. After effects Customers are going bear the ultimate brunt if the verdict rules in favour of banning of ride-sharing. Even if individuals choose to pay more and opt for solo rides, the increased congestion on the road with more people using individual cars, will add to the time opportunity cost. The increasing number of cars on the road could also spell worsening air quality in New Delhi. <a href="http://www.who.int/airpollution/data/cities/en/">According</a> to the World Health Organisation (WHO), Delhi has 292 micrograms per cubic meter of PM10 particles. That’s double the amount in Dakar, the second city on the list. The effect on the companies themselves is a different story. Recent reports <a href="https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/small-biz/startups/newsbuzz/uber-ola-enter-slow-lane-in-2018/articleshow/65927443.cms">indicate</a> that while the absolute number of rides have been increasing, the companies are now growing at a slower rate. Experts believe that one of the reasons is the focus on ride-sharing. The ban could either be good for the companies if customers shift to solo rides. Or, bad if customers choose to shift to public transport altogether or find other alternative means of transportation. Other issues on the table In reviewing the regulations for cabs in the Indian national capital, the committee is also discussing the issue of green fuels and permits. Possible outcomes include enforcing that cabs only use fuels like CNG or LPG and providing proof of parking before applying for a permit. The biggest development to come is probably the tracking of cabs. Currently, cabs in the city aren’t monitored as they pick up and drop passengers. But the committee is considering adding GPS monitoring to the roster, not only for cabs in Delhi but for cabs that are registered in other states while operating within the city. For actual customers, the issues of greater relevance are the ‘panic’ button that will soon become a mandatory feature in cabs and putting a cap on the maximum fare that companies can charge from customers. If the scheme also goes through with its plan of limiting the number of cabs that can be put on call by a cab operator, the demand-supply disparity might even increase the overall prices in the market. The committee, that includes the transport minister Kailash Gahlot and Satyender Jain, a minister at the Public Works Department, is currently reviewing the City Taxi Scheme 2017, Licensing and Regulation of App-based Cab Aggregator Rules 2017 and app-based premium bus services. Sources have told Times of <keyword id="3658" type="COUNTRY" weightage="20" keywordseo="India">India</keyword> that this the committee is unlikely to rule in the favour of companies being allowed to operate ride-sharing in Delhi. They were originally supposed to come to a decision on Monday, but that has now be deferred to a date that is yet to be decided.

If Delhi has the worst air quality, why are paid carpool rides under the danger of getting banned?

<ul><li>In an interview with Business Insider, <keyword id="217165" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Amit-Singh">Amit Singh</keyword>, CEO and co-founder, <keyword id="3009822" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Shuttl">Shuttl</keyword> talks about how the app has solved transportation problems for India’s working professionals. </li><li>It is operational in 8 cities and has marked over 20 million rides so far.</li></ul>Nineteen years back, Amit Singh used to take the bus to work everyday from Prabhadevi to Nariman Point. His friend who would board the same bus midway, would call him to track its ETA. Today, with co-founder Deepanshu Malviya Singh, runs a technology-enabled, seat-based, demand-adaptive bus mobility service – Shuttl. With Shuttl, a user can select from prefixed routes and schedules to commute from home to work. The service, popular with millennials and working professionals, is operational in eight cities and has marked over 20 million rides so far. Its biggest market is Delhi-NCR with women making up 38% of its customers. Singh, an IIT-Delhi graduate, had earlier worked on the <keyword id="6366797" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="Delhi-Metro">Delhi Metro</keyword> and later at investment firms, before going on to work at Jabong. Having gained experience in both transportation and consumer internet, Singh knew that he had to bring both these industries together. “We were supremely impressed with Uber as a product. However, there was a trade-off between affordability and comfort,” he said. The Mathematics behind transportation Singh has a simple equation for comfort in transportation. Comfort = assured seat + a direct route + an AC vehicle. “Buses are the most cost efficient way of moving people. They have been there for ages, except that there was no technology involved. The white space was between cabs which offered extra seats at a price and a public transport which assured no seat at a cheaper price,” said Singh. So, they took buses – unbundled the seats, rebundled them and offered with a subscription model. “In India, there are three factors – high population density, low purchasing power, solutions and developing infrastructure – that gave us the opportunity to come and build something,” said Singh. The original commute When in 2015, Singh and Malviya started working on Shuttl, it was an intercity service providing bus routes between Delhi and Jaipur. On April 6, 2015, they realised that they weren’t solving a day-to-day problem. By April 7, Malviya built an app where users can put an origin and a destination without any payment gateway. On April 8, they stood at HUDA city centre in Gurugram, and convinced two people to use the app. By evening, those two people got five more along, thus taking it to nine bookings in a day. “Retention and referral are big things. We didn’t sell to nine people, we sold only to two, yet our phones were ringing with orders,” said Singh. Within four months, they gained the attention of one of India’s marquee funds – Sequoia Capital. By September, they had reached 10,000 users.

This man went from working for Delhi Metro to building a startup that solves transportation in India’s congested roads

In a bid to control the alarming levels of Delhi’s air pollution, CM <keyword id="260213" type="PERSON" weightage="100" keywordseo="Arvind-Kejriwal">Arvind Kejriwal</keyword> has planned to allow private vehicles with even and odd registration numbers on alternate days from January 1 next year. This step, however odd it may sound, can get really beneficial for bus aggregation startups like <keyword id="3009822" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Shuttl">Shuttl</keyword> and <keyword id="3009942" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="ZipGo">ZipGo</keyword>, who can jump on the opportunity to offer their services to more people now. 
 
Shuttl, which is the largest bus aggregation players in the Delhi-NCR has around 500 vehicles on its network. ZipGo too has entered the Delhi market, and has plans to launch women-only buses. 
 
3 million people already use metro every day to commute, while for buses this number is 5 million. With 50% of Delhi’s private vehicles taken off road, the public transport needs to be made more efficient. 
 Mumbai-based venture <keyword id="3009821" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="rBus">rBus</keyword> is also evaluating a Delhi launch after the announcement, even as Kejriwal later confirmed that this step would be more of an experiment for the first two weeks of January, and results would determine the final step. 
 Big players like Ola and Uber would wait for the results before bouncing on the opportunity. "Delhi being one of our major cities and headquarter, we will be looking to bring <keyword id="6591085" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="UberPool">UberPool</keyword> there very soon," an Uber spokesperson told ET. 
 
<a href="https://www.facebook.com/shuttlapp/?fref=ts">Image source</a>

Kejriwal's odd-even rule to benefit bus aggregation startups

Keeping in mind the vast online commuter market, India’s top cab aggregator, <keyword id="6354720" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Ola">Ola</keyword> is now prepping-up to introduce <keyword id="3071546" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="motorcycle-taxis">motorcycle taxis</keyword>. 
 The Bangalore-based cab aggregator also plans to launch a shuttle bus service. Not just this, but Ola users will now be able to avail <keyword id="3072073" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="car-pooling">car-pooling</keyword> feature on its mobile application, reported The Economic Times. 
 
The motorcycle taxis and shuttle service, however, might face regulatory issues as these do not have any legal frameworks so far. 
 
Internal sources, requesting anonymity, informed that the bike taxis will be on the lines of Indonesia's GoJek, Blue-Jek and Grabbike, which is being used to transport people as well as goods. 
 Another major add-on to the mobile application, <keyword id="3071503" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="OlaShare">OlaShare</keyword>, is being worked-on for quite some time now. The company, however, declined to respond on the email queries by the business daily. 
 
The firm is also in the <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/Ola-Cabs-new-round-of-fund-raising-to-value-it-above-5-billion/articleshow/49072304.cms">advanced stage of closing a financing round</a> of about $500 million (Rs 3,000 crore), which will give a muscle to the firm for its forthcoming plans. 
 The new services, if compared to the other cab-service providers, might give a tough fight to San Francisco-based <keyword id="1042120" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Uber">Uber</keyword>, which is targeting to enhance its business outside the US with India being one of the most potential markets. 
 
<a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/Uber-hopes-to-make-India-its-second-largest-market-sees-Ola-as-competition/articleshow/49087294.cms">(​Uber hopes to make India its second-largest market, sees Ola as competition)</a> 
 
Uber, however, introduced UberPool, its car-pooling service in India, starting with Bengaluru. 
 
Kartik Hosanagar, a professor of technology and digital business at The Wharton School termed the bike-taxi move an interesting one and said, "As of now, it should be seen as an experiment. But one with tremendous potential for Ola... However, the company would have to navigate around regulations." 
 
HeyTaxi, a Mumbai-based motorcycle-taxi company which was launched in June, came under fire from the city's transport department, which has termed the service illegal. 
 A top official at <keyword id="151058" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="Delhi-Transport-Department">Delhi Transport Department</keyword> said the state was framing a scheme for a motorcycle-taxi service but there were issues to consider. "As of now it will be deemed illegal. We were planning to launch such a service in Delhi but have put it on hold due to safety concerns," he said. Instead, Delhi launched a scheme for renting self-driven motorbikes in August. 
 
Car-pooling services, too, are in a regulator grey zone. Several state governments encourage personal carpooling as a way to lessen traffic and pollution, but as a business, the service is not covered under any legal framework. 
 
Safety is another area of concern, as riders would have to car-pool with strangers. Meru Cabs verifies co-riders with their PAN or Aadhaar numbers while BlaBlaCar mandates a social network account such as Facebook for logging in. 
 
Experts, on the other hand, agreed upon the fact that car-pooling as a business has huge potential. 
Image: thinkstock

Ola is going for the kill! Uber already sees it as competition

Travelling within the city is a bane for all especially those who travel long distances for work. While women are increasing joining the workforce, their daily commute is still a tall task. While many companies provide women safe shuttle service between their homes and office, the majority is dependent on using either public transport or taxi services like <keyword id="1042120" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Uber">Uber</keyword> and <keyword id="6354720" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Ola">Ola</keyword> for their daily commute. While these services are convenient, they aren’t quite foolproof when it comes to safety as rape cases are reported even as cab operators claim to be more vigilant. From mob lynching to chain snatching, everyone who travels in public transport has to increasingly be careful on the road. 

 

 <div type="embedgroup"> <div type="Article" hostid="261" msid="59730039" title="Meet the Indian who&amp;#39;s fuelling Asia’s online video consumption" rank="1.0" kind="RELATED" publishDate="Jul 24, 2017, 2:00 PM" mstype="2" mssubtype="0"></div></div> To hopefully make roads safer, <keyword id="3009822" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="Shuttl">Shuttl</keyword>, which is India’s largest app-based bus service platform has introduced ‘Shuttl S.A.F.E.’ (Secure Anxiety Free Experience) - a project which provides multiple safety checks to every commuter through embedded technology features that also ensures responsible behavior by its bus drivers. An in-house creation by Shuttl’s technology team, <keyword id="4817841" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="shuttl-safe">Shuttl SAFE</keyword> is designed with Safety and Emergency tools for the commuter which will ensure safe travel within Delhi-NCR. The project provides the following Safety and Emergency tools for its commuters. <div type="embedgroup"> <div type="Article" hostid="261" msid="59684409" title="Cashback on Paytm will now directly get converted into an online Gold Investment" rank="1.0" kind="RELATED" publishDate="Jul 20, 2017, 6:24 PM" mstype="2" mssubtype="0"></div></div>






 

BEFORE BOARDING SHUTTL SAFE <ul><li>Face-based check-in - a seamless, magical boarding experience, along with authentication to ensure safety for both driver and consumer. This feature provides details of ID, allowing only authorized drivers to operate thus bus and on the commuters side, it ensures that only validated, genuine commuters to board the bus</li> <li>Alcohol detector - The bus ignition is linked with a tech-based alcohol detection test which ensures zero incidence of drunk driving</li></ul> DURING THE RIDE <ul><li>SOS and Panic button on the Shuttl App helps the commuter trigger emergency response, when in danger plus a physical panic button is available on each Shuttl SAFE bus</li> Live <keyword id="6354857" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="CCTV">CCTV</keyword> recording has auto alert feature which alerts the aggregator if anyone inside the bus is in danger</ul>AFTER DE-BOARDING <ul><li>Homecheck, a call-back confirmation to ensure that she has reached home safely</li></ul>The safety of the customer doesn’t stop just in the bus but by the above feature also goes beyond where a user’s journey is tracked on-request right down to her final destination.

 

 <div type="embedgroup"> <div type="Article" hostid="261" msid="59730212" title="Here’s why Pepperfry is taking the Omni-channel route before IKEA enters the Indian market" rank="1.0" kind="RELATED" publishDate="Jul 24, 2017, 10:00 AM" mstype="2" mssubtype="0"></div></div>




 <keyword id="217165" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Amit-Singh">Amit Singh</keyword>, Co-Founder of Shuttl told Business Insider, “With 20,000 completed rides and 450 buses, we are trying to make public transport convenient for all. As our last passenger gets dropped off at latest 11 PM, we wanted to enable a great experience which is not tainted by worry or boredom. Our prices for routes typically start at Rs. 49 and go up to Rs. 89 which is affordable for most. With an assured seat, the customers only tend to gain from this service.” Singh also assured that the prices of the daily pass will not be affected as these costs are a part of customer acquisition for the company. Shuttl SAFE is also equipped with productivity tools for the commuter such as Shuttl TV, with exclusive content by Shuttl that engages the commuter while travelling to work. All seats shall be provided with earphones for the commuters to experience engaging content on Shuttl TV. Thus, controlling sound-levels within the Shuttl thereby taking care of the commuter’s privacy where she is also free to engage in any other personal activity without any disturbance. In addition to this, free WiFi will be available that allows commuters to read, socialize, shop and manage their personal tasks when travelling. Ride-share is also another new feature that Shuttl has launched with SAFE where the commuter can share their ride details with a friend or a family member who can then track their respective rides. All Shuttl buses will be equipped with these features and would be rolled out in phases on all Shuttl routes by the end of this year starting with the safety features.

Shuttl is trying to be the safest commute option for the working class

Across major Indian cities a silent revolution is brewing among taxi drivers who are gaining from the advent of a new breed of startups that are transforming the industry. 
 
Monthly income of several taxi drivers have at least tripled and a few with leadership skills have become entrepreneurs themselves, by managing scores of other drivers. 
 
The startups, which use technology to manage this network of drivers and link them to customers, earn a 2-5 per cent commission from the driver on every trip. Companies like Olacabs, TaxiForSure, Meru and Uber are making a dent in India's taxi-rentals market estimated at about $ 6 billion. 
 
In the process, they are changing the lives of thousands of drivers. ET takes a close look at five people who have benefited enormously from this rising trend. 
 
Khamer Gulzar B.Com first year dropout MERU CABS INCOME BEFORE: NIL 
 After having worked in Dubai as a sales executive for about 15 years, Khamer Gulzar returned to India in 2003 with some <keyword id="25450" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="savings">savings</keyword> to start a restaurant. It failed. He started a used car business with the leftover savings. 
 
Two failed ventures landed Gulzar in deep debt of Rs 15 lakh. That's when he decided to join Meru Cabs as a driver in 2009. Within four years, Gulzar has become debt free. He earns about Rs 40,000 per month, of which he saves nearly Rs 10,000. 
 
"My next goal is to buy my own house and ensure my kids have the best education," said Gulzar, a father to two school-going children. "My daughter wants to be a doctor and I can support her dream with this job," said Gulzar, who owns a Mahindra Logan cab. 
 
Bharathi Veerath School dropout UBER INCOME BEFORE: Rs 14,000 
 
Bharathi Veerath migrated from Warangal in 2005 to Bangalore with her mother and brother in search of a livelihood. A school dropout, she took to odd jobs of tailoring and working in travel agencies, before taking to driving taxis with an all women operated Angel Cabs last year. 
 Veerath was the first woman licenced <keyword id="51966" type="POSITION" weightage="20" keywordseo="Taxi-driver">taxi driver</keyword> in India. She earned Rs 15,000 per month till October as a driver with Angel Cabs, when she heard of India entry of USbased taxi hailing application Uber. She decided to risk and join Uber. Veerath bought a <keyword id="67915" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="Ford-Fiesta">Ford Fiesta</keyword>, loaned by Canara Bank on an <keyword id="6357050" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="EMI">EMI</keyword> of Rs 17,000 per month. Within five months, her income increased to Rs 45,000 per month, from her own car which she drives for Uber and other taxi fleet operators. 
 "Owning my car has given me freedom to work upon my will," said Veerath, who loves to drive for almost 12 hours a day. When not in a mood to take work, she simply switches off her <keyword id="6354606" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="iPhone">iPhone</keyword> which has the Uber app loaded on it. 
 
GG Balaji SSC dropout SAVAARI INCOME BEFORE: Rs 10,000 
 
While taking a few tourists around Coorg last year, Bangalore-based <keyword id="6371561" type="POSITION" weightage="20" keywordseo="Cab-driver">cab driver</keyword> GG Balaji's father suffered a cardiac problem. He left the cab in Coorg and returned to Bangalore to mortgage family gold to have a bypass surgery done for his father. None of the local taxi operators came to his rescue. 
 
That's when Balaji decided to attach himself to Savaari Car Rentals, an Intel Capital-funded taxi rentals startup, as a full time driver. His monthly income has grown from Rs 10,000 per month to Rs 35,000 within six months. Over and above that, Balaji gets a diesel allowance of about Rs 20,000 per month. 
 
"It's a nice feeling to know that a fixed salary will get credited every month," said Balaji, who had earlier served in Indian Army's Corp of Artillery Air Defence till 1996 on the borders. Balaji's next goal is to buy a plot of land. "I am also buying a Tata Manza this Diwali and attaching a relative of mine who will pay me a monthly commission on it," said Balaji. 
 
Reshma Banu 12th Standard Pass OLACABS INCOME BEFORE: NIL 
 
 
Bangalore-based Reshma Banu, a housewife, morphed into a mini entrepreneur in 2006 when she started her car rental business in 2006, egged on by her husband. She bought a Tata Indica with a bank loan. With the emergence of taxi startups in Bangalore, last year, her business took off. 
 Banu signed up with Olacabs as an operator last year. Her business has now grown to a fl eet of 16 cars, which includes Innovas, Fiestas and Micras. "I bought five <keyword id="46283" type="CITY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Nissan">Nissan</keyword> Micra cars for use in Olacabs last month at a discount of Rs 1 lakh per car offered by the company," she said. 
 
"The drive to be an independent woman keeps me motivated," said Banu. Banu has also tied up with seven more aggregators and earns a net profit of about Rs 1 lakh a month, from Olacabs alone. "My next goal is to buy five more cars, this year," she added. 
 
Rajesh Kumar 7th Standard Pass TAXIFORSURE INCOME BEFORE: Rs 15,000 
 
Delhi-based Rajesh Kumar used to be a bus driver earning Rs 15,000 per month before he attached himself with TaxiForSure in January, last year. 
 
On a visit to Delhi, TaxiForSure chief executive Aprameya Radhakrishnan, asked Kumar, the name of a company, if he ever owned one. Kumar came out with the name 'Shabnam Cabs'. 
 
In March 2013, Shabnam Cabs was up and running in Delhi as a local taxi operator. The 43-year-old now has over 100 cab drivers under him, and earns a commission of 2 per cent per trip from each of them in addition to Rs 1,000 as monthly commission per driver. 
 
His monthly gross income has increased 10-fold to Rs 1.2 lakh, out of which he gets a profit Rs 60,000. Father of two grown up kids, Kumar plans to have his son involved in the business, after he graduates from Delhi University. 
 
"My next goal is to expand my business to Chandigarh and Jaipur," said Kumar, who was recently flown to Hyderabad by TaxiForSure to coach newly attached drivers.

How Startups Like Meru, Uber, Olacabs, TaxiForSure Have Transformed Lives Of Taxi Drivers

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Just before Delhi’s <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=odd-even+policy&amp;sortorder=effectivedate" data-type="tilCustomLink">odd-even policy</a> stages a comeback, the nation’s capital has got its first ever eco-friendly electric two-wheeler taxi service. 
 Looking to solve the problem of last mile connectivity, <keyword id="3309408" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="80" keywordseo="Promto">Promto</keyword> has started its service last week and is doing close to 200 rides every day. That’s not too much given the volume of traffic in the city, but it’s a good start nonetheless. 
 
The Delhi based company was started by Nikhil Malik, Karan Chadha, Pawneesh Rampal and Romesh Kumar who came up with the idea of having a battery operated two-wheeler taxi service network. The battery operated bikes are equipped with in-built <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=GPS+systems&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">GPS systems</a>. 
 
The company currently has 20 such scooters, and the service is available from <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=Connaught+Place&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">Connaught Place</a> (<keyword id="6356415" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Metro">Metro</keyword> station gate no. 7) to offer rides within a radius of 5 kms. While reach is an issue currently, affordability isn’t, as the two wheeler service is available for a mere Rs 5/kms. 
 
The taxi can be booked by calling on 82528-82528 or by hailing one from <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=Connaught+Place&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">Connaught Place</a> metro station, gate number 7. 
 
Nikhil Malik, Promoter of Promto said, “Promto will help single office goers, students and general commuters experience the advantages of switching over to zero polluting electric mobility and reach last mile destinations from a public point such as metro stations or a busy bus terminal.” 
 
“Our battery operated bikes will be a visible alternative to immediately cut the emission as one electric bike is equivalent to reducing 1 ton of carbon dioxide emission in 3 years,” added Nikhil. 
 
Much like the Olas and Ubers of the transportation industry, Promto has a comprehensive insurance policy worth up to Rs 1 lakh for the drivers as well as the passenger for the duration of the bike ride. The company also claims all drivers go through stringent background verification and training before they’re put on the road. 
 
The company looks to expand its fleet to 500 battery-operated bikes in the next 6 months and over 10,000 electric bikes in the coming 3 years. 
 
Image credit: Indiatimes

Delhi gets its first Bike taxi service before Odd-Even makesa comeback

New Delhi, Mar 20 () Even seven years after the horrific gang rape and murder of Nirbhaya on an empty moving bus, safety remains a major concern for women who are increasingly seeking technology-based solutions to make their commute safer through dark and deserted areas.More and more women commuters are using apps and wearable gadgets, those that allow tracking by family members, to make themselves less and less vulnerable on poorly lit streets.Though the idea of being tracked may make anyone uncomfortable, the sheer benefits of these tech-based tools appear to outweigh any such concerns.Vikram Kumar, founder and CEO of Gurgaon-based Letstrack - a GPS solutions provider, said the company has seen a 50-per cent surge in sale of devices from January 2019 till date i.e. March 2020 and it has sold over two lakh devices to date since 2016. The company's customer base has surged to 5 lakh, Kumar asserted."Safety of women is a concern for sure. Every day, we hear about thousands of horrific acts being carried out across the country. This has made travelling, working and essentially every aspect of life very difficult. This is also affecting the livelihood of countless women, especially those who work night shifts," he said.Also the availability of several apps-based cab services such as Ola and Uber offer comparatively safer travel options to women, including during late night. Apart from being lighter on wallet, they allow women to board a ride closer to the starting point of their journey and get a doorstep drop.The feature that often prompts women to opt for these platforms over say, a bus, is the live tracking feature. As the ride starts, commuters can share their live location with their loved ones.An Ola spokesperson said the company takes a holistic approach to safety of passengers and features like 24/7 helpline via phone and social media, a dedicated Safety Response Team and an emergency button to resolve urgent requests have been introduced."(These tools) have helped Ola users have a secure experience. We continue to build on this front with innovations as well as rigorous quality exercises, escalation procedures and the use of emerging technologies like Artificial Intelligence and deep learning to continuously predict and reduce risk," the spokesperson added.An Uber spokesperson listed out the initiatives taken by the company to ensure the safety of riders, especially women and highlighted its partnership with Manas Foundation."We believe there is still a lot to contribute, specifically in terms of how to confront structural and systemic social phenomena such as gender-based violence. To raise awareness of gender, power dynamics, and sexual harassment among driver-partners, we have partnered with Manas Foundation, to host gender sensitisation workshops for our driver-partners across the country," the spokesperson said.Till date, over 50,000 driver-partners have been "sensitised" through the programme.But safety is not an issue only when one ventures out.On many occasions, women are alone at home and right from post to groceries to apparel get delivered by strangers. How does one ensure safety in such cases?The US-based Amazon said as a customer-oriented company, its primary focus is to provide a seamless and positive experience to its customers."Through our efficient and systematic hiring processes, we conduct thorough background checks for all potential associates. After they are on-boarded, all our associates are provided extensive soft-skills and sensitisation training prior to their engagement with customers," an Amazon India spokesperson said.These personnel are trained on customer management skills with a focus on formal customer interaction etiquette, grooming, safety and overall ability to deliver a positive customer experience. SR MBI ABHABH

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