Avinash Gupta
CEO
Bookmycab.com
Short Description
'Necessity is the mother of inventions'. However, I’ve experienced it for real.
I was scheduled to catch a flight when my plan was interrupted by a message saying that the radio cab reservation made by me was not confirmed. I tried finding a cab but all in vain. Ultimately, an auto came to my rescue; but I missed my flight. That was how, "The idea of connecting thousands of local taxi drivers to their customers and developing an online platform was born."
My missed flight led to the creation of Bookmycab.com, Mumbai’s first and only most economical radio taxi service."Call (022) 61234567" in Mumbai to book regular Non-AC and AC taxis.
I am sure there would have been many regular taxis within a span of one kilometer from where I needed a taxi on that day. Unfortunately there was no way to call them. I realized that there is a huge need for people to book regular taxis on call, just like you can book in most other major cities in the world.
Besides as a resident of Mumbai I felt a gap in the public transportation system in the city. While the city offers various means of transport to its citizens, efficiency levels of the present system leave a lot to be desired. Taxis and autos, though numerous, are disorganized, scattered and wayward to say the least. Many of them look at only opportunities which lead to personal gains without considering the interests of the customers. This led to the influx of a number of private players who introduced air conditioned taxi services to provide an efficient means of transport to Mumbai. This has helped the citizens of Mumbai but a huge gap still persists. To fill this gap and contribute to an efficient public transport system was the primary motive as well as the inspiration. We realized that the existing system, if properly organized, could itself provide an effective solution of providing a safe, convenient, efficient and economical solution to the transportation needs of thousands of commuters in Mumbai. Hence we have put in place a mechanism which enables us to provide efficient and economical taxi services to the residents using the numerous black and yellow taxis and cool cabs
My Role at Different Dimensions As The Company Evolved
Being a CEO, I’m responsible for the entire operations of the company. In the last 8 months of operation, we have covered 5% of the unorganized taxi market in Mumbai. Our aim is to first cover the city of Mumbai by expanding our reach to around 80% of the RTO approved taxis in the city. We need this model to succeed. Subsequently we plan to expand to other cities.
Challenges Faced
Our biggest challenge is changing the customer psyche at present. The image of the regular taxis has taken a beating in the past. Customers view the cabs as usually dirty, the cab drivers as undependable and whimsical and are reluctant to believe that they can meet up to the standards offered to them by private taxi services. We are trying our best to train these drivers and ensure that the customers are treated well and deliver the promise that we are making on their behalf to the customers. So, another part of the challenge is to reinvent the way in which taxi drivers look at the business model. It is a challenge to make them alter their thinking and behavior. But with repeated training we have been quite successful on that front. <br />
Companies That I Admire Globally
Google.
Leadership Qualities
A "can do, get it done" attitude; Ambition; A strong team.
Most Critical Decision
We took decision to start the business with asset light business model that has a potential to enhance daily earnings of a daily wage earner like taxi driver.
Family Background
I come from business family from a small town.
The Current Entrepreneurship Eco System
Current ‘entrepreneurship eco system’ in India is conducive to entrepreneur with ideas which solves a real world problem.
My Role Model
Dhirubhai Ambani
Advice for Fellow Entrepreneurs
If an idea solves a real world problem, has the potential to scale up, and one has right partnerships and an excellent team – it can make a successful business model and also has a good potential to raise risk capital.