Meet Bengaluru’s First Delivery Woman
23-year-old Venda is breaking free on two wheels.
Six days a week, Venda PV zips through the streets of Bengaluru on her scooter. Helmet on and a bagful of food items and groceries strapped onto her shoulders, she winds through the lanes, delivering parcels at homes and offices.
The 23-year-old is Bengaluru’s first delivery woman.
Venda works for Jugnoo, a Chandigarh-based aggregator providing services ranging from last-mile transportation to food and grocery delivery. The startup has a fleet of 50 riders in Bengaluru, home to India’s e-commerce giants such as Flipkart and its American rival Amazon.
India’s technology services and e-commerce boom has spawned an online logistics industry – including delivery startups, truck aggregators and warehousing firms – that is expected to reach $9.6 billion by 2020 from $1.4 billion in 2015, according to a report by investment bank Avendus Capital.
Thousands have found employment, but logistics and courier companies mostly hire men for deliveries. Venda is happy to break barriers.
No other startup in the city is known to let women take up delivery roles independently. DailyNinja, a venture that delivers groceries and milk within Bengaluru, has women partners who are mostly accompanied by men. Flipkart’s logistics arm and delivery startups in the city like BigBasket, Brring, and Grofers don’t employ women to deliver products.
Snapdeal didn’t reply to BloombergQuint’s emailed query on whether its logistics unit hires women to deliver products. Outside Bengaluru, Even Cargo is an all-woman delivery service in Delhi.
Turned Away At First
Parents should let their daughters choose their profession, Venda said. “My dad was supportive, but even my mom was worried because she thought this was a man’s job.”
So many women struggle to find jobs today. This (product delivery) is easy and interesting work, and more women should be doing this.Venda PV, Rider, Jugnoo
The first time she delivered a package, the customer was surprised, but appreciated her effort and “even wished me luck”, she said.
“People used to stare at me, wondering if a woman could do this job. Now they are supportive and motivate me,” she added.
Hailing from a remote village in Tamil Nadu called Thiruthani, Venda moved to Bengaluru with her parents four years ago in search of a better livelihood. She first worked as a nurse and then joined bike taxi operator Rapido, but didn’t get many rides.
Venda even applied at food delivery firm Swiggy, but was turned away. “I know how to ride and can deliver easily. But they said women are not allowed for deliveries.”
Swiggy didn’t respond to BloombergQuint’s email asking why the company had refused to hire Venda.
It was then that Sabarish Nambiar, operations manager at Jugnoo, referred her for a job, and Venda was hired. As a nurse, she took home Rs 300 a day or roughly Rs 10,000 a month. Now she earns up to Rs 500, making up to a dozen deliveries a day.
I like riding. And, the work is exciting and challenging, since you have to make deliveries within deadlines.Venda PV, Rider, Jugnoo
Not For Life
But this is not a full-time career choice. Venda wants to be a history teacher. She is pursuing a bachelor’s degree in history through correspondence. Every day, after reaching home, she gets back to her books.
“I have cleared my first-year exam. Earlier, I had to discontinue my BSc in computer science due to a financial crunch, but now I can self-fund my studies,” she said.
Venda is proud to be part of the evolution as technology changes the way people live and consume. She is amazed how people order from their phones and get everything delivered at their doorstep.
“Even I don’t have to go to office. I get all order requests on my phone.”