From B.Tech. to professional diploma holders, Delhi taxi aggregators are attracting highly qualified drivers

A B.Tech. graduate, a Ph.D student and a hotel management diploma holder are all busy clocking miles — as cabbies in the national capital. They are part of the growing ranks of educated drivers looking for new prosperity through taxi aggregators like Ola and Uber.

Sarabjeet Singh, an engineering graduate, quit his job as a technical executive at an automobile showroom to hit the road. “After deducting fuel and maintenance costs, I am left with around Rs. 40,000 to Rs. 50,000 a month,” says Mr. Singh, who drives a Uber X Maruti Wagon R cab.

Life has been bumpy for Mr. Singh, who took his B. Tech through distance learning. During a peak hour ride from ITO to Gurgaon, he reveals that he moved from Punjab to Delhi in 2013 in search of a job, after delivering newspapers and working at petrol pumps.

“For now, I am content. Earlier, I would put in the time, but not make enough [he made about Rs. 25,000],” he says.

Anand Subramanian, Director, Marketing Communications, at Ola Cabs, says his company wants to promote entrepreneurship. “More than 20 or 25 per cent of our 33,000 drivers are professionals or students.” The youth get training and run the cabs as their own business. They get help with loans and better interest rates.

Santosh Rai, 27, is pursuing a Ph. D from IP University and earns Rs. 35,000 a month. He wants to sponsor his own education, and the driving provides him with the opportunity to pursue his dream.

Manish Rao, a 25-year-old student from Mumbai, sponsors his studies with earnings from an Ola cab. “As they do not follow work timings, the option of when to drive rests with us. This makes it a feasible job. During exams, I take 15 days off. On an average, I earn around Rs. 35,000 a month,” he says.

This new wave of enterprise is being seen as a way to create a sense of independence, a supplementary source of income and as the launch pad for entrepreneurship.

Kamender, 30, from West Delhi, holds a hotel management diploma and works as a chef. He also drives his Suzuki Swift Dzire under Ola for extra cash. “In the near future, I want to open my own restaurant in Delhi. My present income does not support me, so I enlisted with Ola,” he says, adding that his wife is fully supportive. “I earn close to Rs. 60,000 a month, more than my current job.”

It is not all hunky-dory though. Manoj Kumar (28), a Delhi commerce graduate, rented a car and joined Uber two years ago with great hopes. His income, however, has come down by half. “The incentive payouts act as a boost to complete a certain number of rides each day but due to heavy traffic, we are unable to do that.”

The number of minimum rides that secures incentives for the cabbies keeps changing on a daily basis, and income is not always stable. On an average, the cabbies are asked to complete a minimum number of five trips, but this keeps changing.

Despite challenges, the incentive model provided by these start-ups is an attractive proposition for the educated class.