Organize rickshaw pullers under a single banner, re-engineer their vehicles and roll out a pre-paid city transport service. The new rickshaws can be loaded with cell-phone chargers, mobile re-charge coupons, first-aid kits, mineral water and newspapers among other goodies. It should be easy to enrol the pullers as the new deal assures them a steady income, security, insurance protection and a dignified life. The rickshaws if replaced by subsidized solar rickshaws will take the gruelling manual labour out of the business.
 |
Is this for me
This is for people who wish to engage in a business with a social purpose. If you feel strongly for the downtrodden and want to make a difference, then hop on to a rickshaw.
Insight
“Believe in your ideas and the world will believe in you,” Irfan Alam, Samman Foundation.
How it was done
Rattling along in a rickshaw in his home-town Patna, Irfan could not get water. He studied the rickshaw economy and vowed to change their sorry plight. He designed a rickshaw that could stock items like mineral water and newspapers to be sold to the customers. The business, however, involved more than just that- it involved stirring hope in deadened hearts! He shared with the pullers an idea that promised to boost their incomes and also help them discover a life of Samman or dignity.
Investment - Rs 10 Lakh upwards
Avg. Break even - 1 year
Margin - 10-15%
Subscribe to this comment's feed
| < Prev | Next > |
|---|
