Cab aggregators creating entrepreneurship opportunities

Ever wondered how these cab aggregators like Ola and Uber pile up their fleet? It's the independent cab owners and your neighborhood taxi servicemen who you might just come across when you book an Ola or Uber. These cab aggregators are not just a boon for haggard commuters, but it is a blessing in disguise for independent cab operators also, offering a new and very convenient business opportunity.

One such example in hundreds is Sayyed Aziz, who is a garment manufacturer based in Mahim. When Ola and Uber launched, absorbing thousands of drivers into its network, Aziz sensed an opportunity. Supplementing his garment business with a cab business was running through his mind. So, he started building up his cab fleet from September 2015 to attach them with the aggregators. Today Aziz has a fleet of at least 16 cabs that operate within the city.

“I started with one cab as a part-time business. Now it has become my full-time job," Aziz says ebulliently. With sixteen cabs and a turnover of up to 20 lakhs a month, Aziz has been able to build a full-fledged business, riding on the infrastructure of the cab aggregators.

Like Aziz, there are many other cab operators, and even individuals with just one car, who have been renting them to various cab aggregators in the city. They purchase cars on loan, rent them out to various cab aggregators, and later, earn commissions. The added help from these cab aggregators regarding loan procedures has also motivated many to jump into the business.

“Earlier, we would do it for call centers or corporate companies, needing vehicles to ferry employees. However, with an increase of commuter dependence on cab aggregators like Ola and Uber, the importance of our service has increased. Thus, making income and accessing loans, have been facilitated,” said Anil Shinde who operates five cabs from Seawoods and offers his fleet to Ola.

Well, the advantages of such a business model are two-pronged. While it's an employment generator, the likes of Ola and Uber also benefit with this model by increasing their fleet at no extra cost. To make the whole process easier, aggregators have come up with mobile applications also, where prospective cab owners and drivers can register and attach their services.

“Entrepreneurs are key to our mission of building mobility for a billion Indians. Tens of thousands of driver-partners who joined us with a single car have grown with us to become operators, owning more cars over the years,” said Sumit Tuteja, Senior Director, Ola.

The application also helps the aggregators maneuver activities of cabs and cab drivers from home. Moreover, figuring out the current balance, a total number of rides completed and earnings, with break up in cash and online payments, has also been simplified, Rasika Shinde who helps her husband Anil in operating cabs in the city, says.

The professionalism that comes in tow with technology has helped cab operators in managing their task much more easily, while giving commuters an organized service, rather than depending on neighborhood taxi services without a clear rating system.