Bengaluru: Delivery woman breaking free on two wheels

BENGALURU: Her passion for riding Scooty helped Venda, a 23-year-old home nurse, to join a bike taxi service provider, Rapido, a year ago. Despite juggling between two jobs, she also wanted to become a delivery woman to make ends meet.

When Venda approached Swiggy, looking for a similar job profile, she was rejected for being a woman. "The delivery jobs are all given to the men, and women are often rejected. When I approached Swiggy, they turned me down, saying that they don't hire women for delivery jobs," she said.  

However, Venda has now become a delivery woman, joining Jugnoo, an auto aggregator that also delivers food and other products in over 15 cities.

"I have been living in Bengaluru from the past 4 years and I feel comfortable riding around the city," she said.  Hailing from a small village called Thiruthani in Tamil Nadu, she works 10 hours a day to maintain her livelihood.

"I continue to work as a home nurse on night shift as part of social service and during the day, I work with Rapido and Jugnoo. I try to complete a target of 10 deliveries per day, working for five hours," she added. Venda's story also throws light on gender discrimination that's prevalent in the logistics space.

Most of the startups in the city are keen on hiring men for delivery jobs, with safety being a major concern. Being quizzed on the same, the city manager of Jugnoo, Sabarish Nambiar, said that his company takes certain safety measures while sending their delivery woman out. "We guide them to deliver products standing at the apartment gates and moreover, we employ women who are familiar with the location," he said.

Venda also feels that her job as a delivery woman is the safest and the most comfortable one as she has to work for a few hours in a day. She continues to break stereotypes, while juggling between jobs.