29th February, 2016. Bangalore, India: Unitus Seed Fund, India’s most active seed fund supporting startups innovating for the masses, announced its investment in DriveU, a firm that aggregates on-demand drivers for private car owners in India.
If Uber and Ola have changed the way people travel in urban India, there has been another creeping gap – that of utilization of privately owned vehicles in the country that has largely remained unaddressed.
According to recent reports, there are more than 15 lakhs (1.5 million) private cars in Bengaluru, and 30% of the car owners are seeking drivers. And that’s just in Bangalore! DriveU, founded in 2015 by Ramprasad “Rahm” Shastry, Ashok Shastry and Amulmeet Singh, intends to revolutionize the self-driving habit in the country by addressing the Indian population that owns cars but is forced to choose alternative modes of conveyance to save themselves the hassle of driving and parking in the city.
DriveU CEO, Rahm Shastry says, “Imagine not needing a car, because you already have your own – but just a reliable, background-verified, on-demand driver, for your weekday commute, shopping and running errands, airport runs and business meetings, shuttling children or aged parents, outstation trips or simply for attending social events such as dining, concerts, weddings, parties, and bar pickups. That’s the gap being addressed by DriveU.”
With DriveU, a customer can hire a part-time driver-on-demand at an affordable cost. The team ensures seamless user experience by implementing the best practices in technology, driver verification, training methods and on-road commute experience. Customer safety is of utmost importance to DriveU and they follow stringent policies to get the drivers verified by police and RTO before registering them on the system.
How does it work?
A customer can book a driver using the DriveU app or on its website. The app can be downloaded from the Google Play Store or Apple App Store. With the help of the app, one can book the nearest available DriveU driver and can also track while the driver is on his way to the customer’s pickup location. Once a booking is confirmed, all the necessary information such as driver’s name, picture, rating, phone number, location, distance from customer’s pick up point and estimated time of arrival is provided.
The hallmark of DriveU business is a simple, transparent, pay-as-you-go, fare of Rs 99/- per hour. There is no surge pricing ‘feature’ on the DriveU app; hence chances of getting fleeced with peak-hour pricing is another hassle avoided.
About DriveU
Bangalore-based Humble Mobile Solutions Pvt. Ltd. launched DriveU in July 2015 with the vision to offer a technology-driven, on-demand, affordable, private driver service. DriveU brings together customers with their own vehicles who need a trusted driver. This strategic approach along with cutting-edge technology ensures that DriveU customers get an accessible, safe, transparent and economical ride.