How many times have we stepped out and seen transport from the old-school point of view? The kind of transport that is not only efficient and budget-friendly but also helpful for the environment as well. It was probably a decade or two ago where people utilized more of public transport or used bicycles to travel. This very aspect is required today, as the environment is in a dire need of a break from pollution.
Comprehending this necessity of protecting and saving the environment, several conglomerates have devised sustainable technologies and solutions. One company in particular, with a vision of reducing traffic congestion and related pollution by providing a scalable, affordable, efficient and clean solution is Yulu.
Founded in the year 2017, Yulu aims to transform the very crux of commuting. UMaaS or Urban Mobility as a Service is the concept that involves budget-friendly and shareable solutions that individuals can use for short-distance travel. This is the basis on which the company has been built and has its operations in cities such as Bangalore, Pune, Greater Mumbai, Bhubaneswar, and Delhi.
Recently, the company has received Series A funding from Bajaj and have also attained a partnership with Uber. Today, Yulu has the largest fleet of shared vehicles and is on a journey to build the largest Electronic Vehicle (EV) ride-sharing system in India while aiming for an eco -friendly commute.
Eco-friendly Travel Options
The firm’s passion for design in amalgamation with innovation within an urban scenario led them to come up with this unique idea. It needed to involve the benefit of traveling in cities where it has started taking half an hour to scale shorter distances of less than 2 kms. The makers decided to bring in a sharing-friendly smart bicycle, namely the Yulu Move, where local cultural suitability played a significant part.
Alternatively, the company eventually decided to add one of the most preferred modes of transport in every modern city – the e-bike. The company came up with a lightweight battery-operated two-wheeler that is easy to ride named, the Yulu Miracle. It has a maximum speed of 25 kmph which exempts it from being required to have a license or a helmet. This two-wheeler also contains a swappable lithium-ion battery. Yulu has also built a highly scalable network of charging stations.
The two-wheelers consisting of bicycles and electric powered vehicles also use the latest technologies such as Internet of Things (IoT), Machine Learning (ML), and Artificial Intelligence (AI) to function efficiently. This initiative has further encouraged people to opt for this affordable option that is working to rapidly reduce carbon footprint.
Elaborating Further on the Concept
Yulu has currently been changing how Indian citizens travel around the city and also stays true to its root cause of ensuring no harm to the environment. The bigger cities are majorly intrigued by this initiative and have been adopting it with much ease. Yulu vehicles are dock-less and can be rented on a pay per use basis. Its simplicity is portrayed by the easy bookings via iOS or Android apps that take only a couple of minutes and one only needs to scan the QR code to unlock them.
About the Innovators Extraordinaire
It took the collective efforts of four individuals to bring a revolution into the environment-friendly travel category. A graduate of IIT Kanpur, Amit Gupta has also earned the prestigious Distinguished Alumni Award. He then went on to be the co-founder of a billion-dollar start-up called InMobi and played a key role in ensuring its profits and expansion to over 15 countries. Following this, he then moved on to be the Co-Founder and CEO of Yulu.
With a similar interest and passion for creating sustainable travel options, R. K. Mishra took on the role of Co-Founder and President Ecosystem Partnerships at the company. In the past, he has also founded Tent Technologies which was sold to Hughes. He also holds association with various organizations such as Carnegie India, Center for Smart Cities (Founder), SAHYOG (Founder), and Karnataka CM’s Vision Group. On the academic front, Mr. Mishra graduated from IIT Kanpur and also holds a master’s degree from Tokyo University.
Naveen D is the Co-Founder and CTO of Yulu and is also a graduate from IIT Kanpur. He also holds a master’s degree in computer graphics from the Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology, South Korea. His immense technical background has been helpful in the implementation of ML/AI and IoT into the functioning of the company. His past work experience involves the position of a Technical Director for Data Analytics at BIAS Corporation and he also co-founded Learnora an online education platform.
With 14 years of professional experience, Hemant Gupta took on the role of the fourth Co-Founder and Chief of Operations of Yulu. He has an MBA from Symbiosis, Pune and joined A.P Moller-Maersk as a part of their highly acclaimed global talent management program.
Accolades and Accomplishments
Being a part of the start-up community is always challenging and it takes immense efforts to ride to the top. Since its inception, Yulu has earned various awards for its unique and budget-friendly concept. Popular business magazine Entrepreneur India bestowed Yulu with the award for the Emerging Startup of the Year. It was also awarded the titles of the Coolest Start-Up of the Year by Business Today, Most Innovative Startup by Inc42 and Cypher – Great Data Science Awards 2019 for AI implementation in Mobility. Yulu with its bikes and two-wheelers is working towards creating a cleaner and greener environment.
