Driver NE Bridges the Gap in Northeast India’s Part-Time Driving Market

In the current quickly changing technological environment, companies are more and more using digital solutions to overcome traditional obstacles. Sagarika's experience with Driver NE showcases this change, as she dealt with the challenges of incorporating technology into a sector that has typically relied on manual methods and interpersonal connections. Confronted with high turnover rates among drivers and inadequate services, Sagarika identified a chance to introduce innovation. She filled an important gap and established a new standard for the industry by investing in a digital platform that links part-time drivers with customers in the Northeastern region of India, which was previously lacking such technology.

While talking to Business North East she said " We have had a driver with us for over three decades. Slowly he integrated into the family. Issues arose when he became ill, leading to the need for us to employ a new driver. In a brief amount of time, we replaced 18 drivers. Either we were at fault, or they were, or perhaps both of us were to blame. I began conversing with the drivers every time I encountered them. That's when I understood the reasons why Drivers prefer working part-time over full-time". Driver NE felt that drivers household chores and using Smartphones have increased drivers' exposure to opportunities, with experiences in Ola, Uber, and Rapido. They earn more working part-time than full-time, making 2-3 bookings daily and interacting with multiple people. Some drivers have office jobs during the day and do part-time driving in the evenings or on weekends. Sagarika said " The majority of my clientele consists of Senior Citizens, pregnant women, or non-emergency medical patients who come in for regular check-ups. Frequently, they require drivers for short shifts of 1 or 2 hours, which the drivers typically decline, but if they receive another request later on, it makes up for their missed opportunity.

After conducting additional investigation, I discovered that the northeastern region of the country does not have an online digital platform (app) for connecting drivers with part-time job opportunities and customers with part-time services". This is how Driver NE was formed, and we plan to grow our offerings to other cities and states in North East India. During the coversation she said that while starting this Driver NE "I invested around 2.3 lakh and recently it has generated around 4 lakh in last 11 months. intially she had countable drivers and few client based which has increased to 300 drivers and more than 100 customers in recnt context. " 

Sagarika aims to have a propers women based catering to this industry which is ofent a male dominated one. She also wants to develope the app with the latest technologies that can lead to better and easy usage of the Driver NE app. Sagarika’s initiative with Driver NE highlights the transformative power of technology in addressing niche market needs and solving long-standing issues within traditional industries. By identifying and responding to the unique preferences of drivers and the specific demands of clients in Northeast India, she has not only created a valuable digital solution but also set a precedent for future innovation in the sector.