21-yr-old girl from Bengal is Delhi’s first woman e-bike taxi driver

New Delhi: Women in Delhi now have a new option to commute as ‘Pillion’- Delhi’s first E-bike taxi, has roped in a woman driver for its battery operated bike taxi.Twenty-one-year-old driver Tumpa Barman, who hails from West Bengal, is a 12th standard passout and has been successfully taking women passengers to their respective destinations on the battery operated bike taxi being run by Delhi based start-up ‘Pillion’.

The e-bike taxi service is currently available in Karol Bagh, Jhandewalan and nearby areas and is beneficial for single office goers, students and general commuters who struggle to commute in crowded buses and rickshaws after getting down from the Metro. The service is available at a flag down price of Rs 15 and Rs 5/km by dialing 82528-82528, or by boarding them from metro stations of the areas where these e-bike taxis ply.

Hailing from a low income group, Tumpa stays with her family in Delhi. After finishing her school, she decided to extend a helping hand to her family and took up the job as a female bike taxi driver. The 0800 to 1800 hrs job as a female bike taxi driver, Tumpa said, has given her confidence as well as a great opportunity to support her family.

"I am very happy to be part of the bike taxi service operational in Delhi. I am confident to offer my best to my passengers,” she said.‘Pillion’ was launched in 2016 and has over 60 battery operated bike taxis plying in a radius of 5 KMs in Karol Bagh and Jhandewalan. The initiative is helping solve problem of last mile connectivity with zero pollution and that too at an affordable price. The company has at present one female bike rider and plans to add more in the coming months in order to reach out to more female passengers. 

Mr Karan Chadha, Co-Founder, Pillion, said, “We are equally excited to have a female driver in our team. We plan to increase the fleet and reach out to new locations so that more people can use our eco-friendly mode of transport. There is a growing acceptance of eco-friendly mode of transportation amongst the public and we are happy with the response we are getting from them. Our vision is in line with the government’s vision of providing eco-friendly mode of transport by 2030 and we plan to start our services soon in other parts of the city as well.”(UNI)