From Small Businesses to an Electric Mobility Venture

For Shivam Sisodiya, entrepreneurship began long before Bijliride. While still in school, he explored small businesses, including selling photocopies. Later, he tried T-shirt printing and handled corporate orders for pani puri. These early ventures gave him practical lessons in sales, customer needs and day-to-day operations.

His professional experience at Amazon further shaped his understanding of business. While working in food-delivery analytics in Bengaluru around 2018–19, he saw how delivery operations worked and how closely profitability depended on efficiency. That experience helped him recognise an opportunity in the growing delivery economy.

The original idea was to convert corporate pickup-and-drop fleets to electric vehicles. However, with limited starting capital of around ₹2.5 lakh, the team had to rethink its approach. It eventually focused on electric two-wheelers for delivery riders, many of whom spend 10–12 hours a day on the road.

Solving the Everyday Problems of Delivery Riders

Buying an electric vehicle can be difficult for a delivery worker. The upfront cost is high, access to loans may be limited, and a vehicle breakdown can mean losing a day’s income. Delays in warranty claims or repairs make the situation even harder.

Bijliride was built around this gap. Instead of asking every rider to purchase a vehicle, the company offers electric two-wheelers on a rental or subscription basis. The aim is to make it easier for riders to start earning without taking on the full cost of ownership.

For the company, the service is not just about providing a vehicle. It is about keeping that vehicle available for work and helping riders get back on the road quickly when something goes wrong.

Service as the Company’s Biggest Differentiator

Shivam says that service and support are central to Bijliride’s approach. The company uses service-ticketing processes and provides assistance for repairs, battery-related issues and roadside problems. Depending on the situation and service terms, support may include battery delivery or swapping, replacement assistance and consumables such as brake shoes, wires and bearings.

The team aims to resolve suitable issues within an hour, although actual resolution time depends on the nature of the problem and local availability. For delivery riders, faster support can mean less downtime and fewer missed earning opportunities.

Shivam also recalled an incident in which the team helped a Zomato delivery rider after an accident. The team assisted in getting him to a hospital and coordinated with his family. For him, the episode reflected the responsibility that comes with serving people whose livelihoods depend on their vehicles.

Making EV Rentals Easier Through Subscriptions

Bijliride’s rental model is designed to reduce the burden of a large upfront purchase. Riders can access a vehicle through a subscription or rental arrangement and focus on their work rather than managing every aspect of vehicle ownership.

This approach also helps the company build a relationship with riders beyond the initial handover. Maintenance, service support and operational reliability become important parts of the overall offering. In a business where a vehicle that is not running cannot generate income, reliability is as important as affordability.

Growing Across Cities and Building a Larger EV Fleet

According to figures shared during the interview, Bijliride initially built a network of around 2,500 vehicles in Hyderabad without spending on marketing. The company later expanded its reported fleet to more than 6,000 electric vehicles across Hyderabad, Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Warangal and Guntur, including vehicles operated through its franchise network.

The company has also identified Jaipur, Indore, Bhopal, Raipur and Chennai as potential expansion markets. Growing across cities, however, requires more than adding vehicles. It calls for local service capacity, dependable partners and systems that can maintain a consistent rider experience across locations.

Revenue Growth, Fleet Uptime and Financing

Shivam reported that Bijliride recorded revenue of ₹18 crore in FY2025, with an EBITDA margin of 30%. He also cited fleet uptime of around 80–85% and rider retention of approximately 80%. These metrics are important in an asset-heavy rental business because vehicle availability and repeat usage directly affect utilisation and revenue.

To support growth, the company has explored debt and leasing arrangements rather than relying only on its own capital. Shivam mentioned finance partners including Clix Finance and Alt Mobility. Such partnerships can help a fleet business expand while managing the upfront cost of adding vehicles, although financing terms and utilisation remain important to long-term sustainability.

Why Bijli Ride Chose the Franchise Model?

Expanding a vehicle fleet across multiple cities can require substantial capital and local operational knowledge. Bijliride has therefore pursued a franchise-led approach, allowing local partners to operate within its broader network.

Shivam said the company had awarded 22 franchises, with nine operational in Hyderabad at the time of the interview. Under the model he described, franchise partners retain rental earnings, while Bijliride earns through franchise-related, platform and recurring fees. The model can support expansion, but its success depends on clear responsibilities, consistent service standards and aligned incentives between the company and its partners.

Using Technology to Manage a Distributed Fleet

As the network grows, technology helps the company coordinate vehicles and service requests across locations. Shivam described a mobile app used to manage vehicles, stations, service tickets and related operations.

For a distributed fleet, such tools can make it easier to track problems, direct support and understand where vehicles are available or need attention. Technology does not replace local service teams, but it can help them work with better visibility and more consistent processes.

Making Electric Mobility More Affordable for Delivery Workers

Bijliride’s focus on delivery riders connects electric mobility with livelihood opportunities. For workers who rely on daily earnings, the decision to use an EV is not based only on environmental benefits. It also depends on whether the vehicle is affordable, reliable and supported when it breaks down.

By combining rentals with service support, the company aims to make electric vehicles more practical for people who may not be able to purchase one outright. The broader challenge is to ensure that the economics work for both riders and the fleet operator as the network scales.

The Challenges of Building an Asset-Heavy Business

Running an EV rental company involves costs beyond purchasing vehicles. Maintenance, batteries, downtime, financing and city-level operations all affect the business. A larger fleet can create more revenue opportunities, but it also increases the need for reliable service and disciplined capital management.

Bijliride’s approach combines subscriptions, operational support, financing partnerships and franchising. How well these elements work together will be important as the company expands into new markets and tries to maintain the service standards that underpin its value proposition.

The Vision: Bringing One Million Users Into Electric Mobility

Shivam shared a long-term ambition of bringing one million users into electric mobility by 2030. Reaching that scale would require continued expansion, strong local operations and a model that remains accessible to riders while being financially sustainable for the company and its partners.

For Bijliride, the opportunity lies in making EV adoption easier not only through vehicles, but through the support system around them. As electric mobility becomes more common, dependable service and flexible access could play an important role in helping more workers make the switch.

Advice for Young Entrepreneurs

Reflecting on his own journey, Shivam encourages young entrepreneurs to build businesses that create practical value. He believes companies should solve real problems and make a meaningful difference, whether through better services, income opportunities or savings for customers.

His message is to move beyond ideas and take action. As he put it during the interview, there is a “thin line between thinking and doing.” For founders, that means testing assumptions, listening to customers and staying close to the everyday challenges their businesses are meant to solve.

Bijliride’s journey reflects a broader shift in how electric mobility can be delivered: not only by selling vehicles, but by making them accessible through rental models, service support and local operating networks. For delivery riders, the value of an EV depends on whether it helps them work reliably and earn consistently.

As the company pursues its expansion plans, its ability to balance affordability, uptime, customer support and sustainable unit economics will shape its next phase. The ambition is clear: to make electric mobility a more practical option for the people who depend on two-wheelers for their livelihoods.

Interview By: Palak