Entrepreneurial drive: Youths chuck jobs to become cabbies

BENGALURU: A monthly salary of Rs 50,000 and long weekends... the life of a techie suited Deepak Shanmugam, 33, a resident of Halasuru, but he felt he could do more. That restlessness and the urge to strike out on his own drove him to a profession that is fast catching on in Bengaluru. He is now a driver-partner with cab company TaxiForSure. "My neighbours and friends were shocked when I decided to buy a car in February and work as a cabbie for half the salary I was earning as an engineer. I found nothing menial about the job. I am happy and I understand the feeling of serving people's need to travel. It is okay to start with a lower salary. Business is growing fast and money will flow in," Deepak says. Yuvaraj K, 31, understands what Deepak went through. Yuvaraj worked as an assistant manager in a company for eight years, but his dream was to run his own business. He started driving for Ola with the idea of owning a fleet of cars soon. "I have the freedom to log in and out of the mobile app whenever I want to. I do not have a quirky boss. I am the boss here," he says. There are many enthusiastic people in the city who are changing the face of the cabbie. With cab aggregators swamping the market, cabbies' fortunes have changed remarkably. They offer big cash incentives and other facilities to drivers who can afford to live well and send their children to good schools. Renuka Devi, 35, who married a man her parents chose after she completed PUC, always nursed a dream of becoming self-reliant. "My husband works in a company, but his salary is always delayed. That affected the day-to-day functioning of the family and prompted me to do something to earn some more," she says. She bought a car, hired a driver and registered with Ola. "Business is booming," she says. That was two years ago. Today, Renuka Devi of Jalahalli owns 13 cars attached to Ola. She employs many drivers to run her business 24/7. "Initially getting drivers was tough, but now that's not a problem. In the beginning, it was just additional income. Now my family depends on my business," she says. Skater takes to four wheels National-level skater Sarabjit Singh, 26, started driving cabs about two years ago. Four gold and one silver medal at national skating competitions did not help when it came to feeding himself. Donning the driver's cap gave him a new lease of life. He drives cabs for Ola in Chandigarh and earns about Rs 20,000 a month. "I coach people one hour each in the morning and evening. After that, I log on to the Ola app and ferry people across the city," he says. Recognition, he says, is a momentary joy. "I do not feel bad about being a cabbie and an athlete at the same time. People's perception about cabbies has changed," Sarabjit says. My husband works in a company, but his salary is always delayed. That affected the day-to-day functioning of the family which eventually prompted me to look to earn more. I bought a car, hired a driver and registered with Ola. Business is booming - Renuka Devi, who owns 13 cars attached to Ola My neighbours and friends were shocked when I decided to work as a cabbie for half the salary I was earning as an engineer. I found nothing menial about the job. It is okay to start with a lower salary, but the business is growing fast and money will flow -TOI