Mumbai-based startup Hey Didi, a provider of last-mile delivery for ecommerce companies in the Maximum City, is in an expansion mode. Currently running a fleet of 10 women drivers on scooters in Mumbai, Hey Didi is planning to have 5,000 women scooter drivers in this calendar.
Further, the boot-strapped startup run by Revathi Roy who herself started running a cab to understand the market as a woman, is also looking to enter the two-wheeler cab services for ferrying passengers, but is waiting for the government ease certain regulations.
The company has also partnered with Mahindra Finance for easy financing of two-wheelers for its women employees. Mahindra is also providing free scooters to Hey Didi in Mumbai at present.
“We are playing the supporting role to Hey Didi’s project for women empowerment. It is limited to delivery of ecommerce goods but would soon spread to taxi services once the regulations are relaxed for two-wheelers,” said Vinod Sahay, Senior Vice President – M&M, and Chief Operating Officer – Mahindra Two Wheeler Ltd.
He said the company would support the start-up in other cities too. “We will provide free scooters to this start-up wherever they set up operations,” Sahay said.
The start-up has already trained 200 women for last-mile ecommerce delivery. The other cities awaiting expansion are Pune, Bengaluru, Goa and Gurgaon.
Hey Didi is a platform which is focused on providing any sort of delivery starting from food, medical reports, cake, cheque to even grocery in Mumbai, by downloading an app on the mobile. It was launched by HeyTaxi on International Women’s Day as HeyTaxi’s women’s empowerment initiative, becoming the first all-female delivery service.
This association with Mahindra ensures a discount on the market price of two wheelers, a good EMI scheme and a reasonable down payment to the Hey Didi women drivers. As of now, Mahindra would be financing for 100 women registered under Hey Didi in Mumbai.
Hey Didi’s aim is to train and employ 10,000 girls to ride scooters and provide instant parcel service on its platform — across 20 cities in 3 years. “There are close to 200 women under training and 100 women drivers will be ready in the next month,” said Roy. According to her, on an average, women scooter drivers can earn around .`8,000 to .`9,000 per month. Mumbai-based motorcycle-taxi company HeyTaxi that started its two-wheeler taxi service, had come under fire from the city’s transport department, which had termed the service illegal as earlier reported by.
Source: The Economic Times
