South Delhi or Gurugram, people may have spotted chances a new cab service in the streets with a distinct ‘Blu’ branding. BluSmart might not have an all-India presence yet, but the all-electric cab service is quickly gaining popularity in the NCR region. The Gurugram-based taxi service provider promises clean vehicles, courteous drivers, no cancellations and no surge pricing.
“There are three parts to a cab-hailing service: the consumer side, the supply side which is the driver-partner ecosystem and the platform itself. With most services, all three sides are under deep trouble,” Tushar Garg, chief business officer at BluSmart.
“The platform in the middle is making no money and has no loyalty. The customers have a terrible experience. And if you speak to the drivers, you will know that they are in trouble as well. They own an expensive asset that is getting even more expensive to run with fuel price hikes, and struggle to make ends meet,” explained Garg.
Like Ola and Uber, the big two taxi service providers—BluSmart doesn’t own any of its vehicles, and none of the drivers on its platform are employees. However, it has a core business tenet: the drivers do not need to own the vehicles themselves. All the vehicles in BluSmart’s fleet of electric vehicles are leased by BluSmart, and then sub-leased to the drivers.
