Andhra Pradesh government joins hands with Rapido to provide employment for women

As part of the initiative, the government will provide e-bikes and e-autos to members of self-help groups who have a driving licence and connect them with Rapido

Hyderabad: In an bid to empower women in the State, the Andhra Pradesh government has joined hands with bike taxi service company Rapido.

As part of the initiative, the government will provide e-bikes and e-autos to members of self-help groups who have a driving licence and connect them with Rapido.

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Initially, the government is planning to provide around 400 e-bikes and e-autos in Visakhapatnam and Vijayawada and later roll out in smaller cities like Kakinada, Rajahmundry, Guntur, Nellore, Tirupati and Kurnool. These small cities will get another 200 vehicles collectively. According to reports, the government will arrange loans under the Mudra scheme and other self-employment programmes for women to purchase the vehicles.

Under the agreement with Rapido, women who drive these vehicles will not have to pay platform charges to the company for the first three months. From then on, they will have to pay Rs 1,000 per month. The bike taxi company will provide 300 bookings per month for each vehicle.