Chauffeur provider DriversKart has acquired startup Driven in a cash and equity deal. Consequently, DriversKart is in the drivers’ seat to become market leader in India’s on-demand driver marketplace.
DriversKart was founded in 2015 by IIM Calcutta alumnus Vinit Srivastava, along with Lakshmi Potluri and Saksham Grover. It enables users to hire drivers on an hourly, weekly or monthly basis through its app in Bengaluru, Chennai, Delhi, Mumbai and Pune. It aggregates drivers on its marketplace after verifying their antecedents and training them. At present, it has a network of over 200 drivers. Requests for drivers on its app are matched with suitable drivers. All calculations, billing and notifications are completely automated. At the end of the trip, an SMS with details of charges is sent to the driver and the customer. It has also integrated with Paytm for wallet and online payments. The Chennai-based operator is the most preferred driver provider for self-drive car rental companies such as Zoomcar and Justride.
Mumbai-based Driven was founded less than a year ago by Shivalik Sen, the present CEO, and three others. It lets car owners find trained and verified drivers for all their driving needs. Commenting on the acquisition, DriversKart co-founder Vinit said, “We get access to a team which was equally excited and passionate about this space and has had tremendous learnings in short span of time. It gives access to 150 driver partners servicing 1000 customers a month. The deal will strengthen the presence of DriversKart in Mumbai.” Sen observed, “The acquisition will help Driven to be a part of a bigger brand.”
The market for temporary driver services in India is estimated at $8 billion. As the major share of this market is unorganised and fragmented, there are several players waiting to jump in.