Chennai:
With a spinal cord injury, Ganesh Murugan, 37, from Chennai, is a traffic stopper as he rides his new motorized electric wheelchair to deliver food. He is probably India’s first wheelchair food delivery person. An innovative motorized electric wheelchair designed by a start-up at IIT Madras has increased their earning potential.
The two-in-one motorized wheelchair can be detached with the push of a button and the rear folds into a simple wheelchair giving it significant independent last mile access. This enables him to go to accessible restaurants or even high-rise buildings to collect and distribute food.
37-year-old Ganesh Murugan on his new motorized electric wheelchair
Ganesh has been working from home for seven years. It took him several years to recover after he injured his spinal cord after being hit by a truck in 2006. Although he used a modified scooter for commuting, he had to carry a wheelchair and needed the help of another person to get from the vehicle to the wheelchair or back to the vehicle. Now he earns an additional Rs 6,000 for distributing food part-time using the new vehicle.
Sharing his new dynamism and his newfound confidence, Ganesh said, “Recently I had to deliver on 10th floor in Ambattur. I didn’t ask the customer to come down. I took off the front wheel and took the lift. Climbed in as it could accommodate. Wheelchair. The customer was very impressed. I also enjoyed the experience and the customer was happy too.”
A few kilometers away, Rajaram, who is orthopedically disabled due to polio, has tied up with Zomato under the Delivery by Cycle category. He feeds the hungry through North Chennai. He says this motorized wheelchair gave wings to his dreams. His income is now Rs 9,000. “With this income, I am able to manage my monthly rent and any additional expenses,” he says. Of the new experience, he says, “People appreciate me when I carry my food delivery bag. They look at me with pride. I see a huge difference in the way they looked at me before and now.” appears”.
Suresh, a young engineer who had ordered lunch on his holiday, was pleasantly surprised when he learned that Rajaram was bringing his food in his wheelchair. Call it a welcome empowerment in e-commerce. “When I saw them about twenty feet from my door, I thought that was enough for them. I need to go ahead and get the parcel. If given a chance, they can do anything,” he said. He has a suggestion for an e-commerce platform. “They should add a significant number of people with disabilities as delivery persons. The app should indicate this to the customer. They should also have a separate category for these delivery persons to be seen as inclusive.”
The start-up, Neomotion Assistive Solutions Private Limited was founded by three students and a faculty from IIT Madras. Their customized rugged vehicle can cruise at a speed of 25 kmph. It takes 4 hours to charge and it covers a distance of 25 km on a single charge. The team hopes that this can open up many new opportunities.
Start-up, Neomotion Assistive Solutions Pvt Ltd has helped this vehicle to empower the differently-abled
Co-founder Siddharth Daga shared, “We have actually contacted India Post. They can help us in delivering the letters through the post office. We have contacted the Hindu and India Times for milk delivery. It will create new opportunities in any field that requires mobility.”
The cost of a two-in-one vehicle is around Rs 1 lakh. The founders are now incorporating so that their CSR funds can fund and empower the differently-abled who cannot afford the cost but can benefit from it. The start-up has supplied around 1300 vehicles. Of these, around 300 vehicles have got corporate sponsorship. Responding to what attracted them to solve the challenges of the disabled community living off lucrative corporate jobs.
This two-in-one vehicle costs around Rs 1 lakh
Ashish Mohan Sharma, another co-founder, said, “It is job satisfaction after all that you are doing something good with what you have learned from college, that we have been able to accomplish. We were not fascinated by the corporate world. “
While innovation at IIT Madras creates new opportunities for the disabled in the e-commerce delivery space, researchers say this is just the beginning and the best is yet to come.