‘Aadha trip’ platform developed by Sircilla man promises to disrupt logistics sector
Hyderabad: Balaraju Bhusaveni of Sircilla, has developed a platform Aadha Trip, as the name indicates, which helps people to find a transport vehicle to move goods by paying only one way fare. This disrupts the practice of the lorries and goods carriers charging two-way as they have to travel ’empty’ in the return direction. Aadha […]
Hyderabad: Balaraju Bhusaveni of Sircilla, has developed a platform Aadha Trip, as the name indicates, which helps people to find a transport vehicle to move goods by paying only one way fare. This disrupts the practice of the lorries and goods carriers charging two-way as they have to travel ’empty’ in the return direction.
Aadha plays an aggregator to find business for the transporters in the return direction at the same time helping the customers find the service at a lower cost as the latter have to pay only for the one-way journey. The platform is operational and Balaraju wants to add some more features before making it commercially available.
The Telangana State Innovation Cell (TSIC) helped him access mentorship and ecosystem connections and also showcase his idea at different fora. Balaraju has completed a master class programme from August 2020 to September 2021. The programme is conducted by the T-Tribe, a T-Hub initiative.
Aadha now has about 2,300 users and about 3,350 transporters on the platform. It handled about 610 loads. The transporters tell about their route and availability. The users will also post their vehicle requirements, addresses from where the goods have to be picked up and where they have to be delivered, and the time-frame. These details are mutually visible, said Balaraju adding that so far Aadha just connected the transporters and customers and there is no revenue channel yet. It will add more features, integrate maps, payment gateways and others in days to come, he said.
How did the idea come about? “Some years ago we bought a refrigerator in Siddipet. The transporter asked about 1,000 to deliver it at our home in Sircilla, which is about 40-50 km from Siddpet. I felt the cost was high for me. Also, I understood it would not help the transporter if he charged any less. So I told the shopkeeper that I would take the fridge in two or three days and began hunting for a transporter who charged less. I found one who was going all the way up to our village and he asked for Rs 500. It was a win-win for both as I got it for less and the driver got an additional order. That sowed the idea to build a platform that would connect transporters on the return journey with customers wanting to transport goods at a lower cost,” Balaraju told Telangana Today.
What about the revenues? According to Balaraju, transporters have to pay a monthly subscription fee and the company will generate leads. If it fails to generate even one lead in a month, the fee paid in that month will be adjusted for the next month. The company will also get a commission from the customers as it is getting the transporters to serve them at nearly half the cost they otherwise would have paid.
“We will explore tie-ups with other logistics sector ecosystem participants including fuel stations, repair and maintenance and others. We also have plans to raise funding in days to come. We will scale up operations from the current two States- Telangana and Andhra Pradesh,” said Balaraju, who is assisted by his wife Navya, in managing the platform.
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