Rapido-Table of Content
- Introduction: Rapido’s Dark Side in India’s Gig Economy
- Life-Threatening Work Hours: 10-12 Hours of Risk
- Constant Mobile Use: A Recipe for Disaster
- Summer Struggles: Drivers Suffer in the Heat
- High Commissions: Rapido’s Profit Over Drivers’ Pain
- Government Inaction: Failing to Protect Drivers
- No Rules, No Compliance: A Free Pass for Exploitation
- Exploiting Unemployment: Preying on India’s Job Crisis
- Unfair Account Suspensions: No Reason, No Proof
- Crores for Rapido, Crumbs for Drivers: The Stark Divide
Introduction: Rapido’s Dark Side in India’s Gig Economy-9 Ways Rapido Exploits Driver
9 Ways Rapido Exploits Drivers
- A Predatory Model: Rapido, a leading bike-taxi aggregator in India, boasts of revolutionizing urban mobility, but behind the glossy ads lies a grim reality—drivers are risking their lives while Rapido rakes in crores, exploiting India’s unemployment crisis.
- The Gig Economy Trap: With unemployment at 5.1% in April 2025, many, like Sreenivas—a computer engineering graduate turned driver—are forced into gig work, only to face harsh conditions and meager earnings while Rapido thrives.
- For zikzik.in Readers: Let’s uncover 9 ways Rapido exploits its drivers in 2025, exposing how the company prioritizes profits over the well-being of those who keep it running, with the government turning a blind eye.
Life-Threatening Work Hours: 10-12 Hours of Risk-9 Ways Rapido Exploits Driver
- Relentless Schedules:
- Rapido drivers often work 10-12 hours daily, as noted in sources, with full-timers earning up to ₹20,000/month but at a steep cost to their health and safety.
- A Rapido captain in Hyderabad shared on Reddit that he earned ₹400 for 11 rides, working long hours for small rides averaging ₹50, showing how drivers are pushed to overwork for survival.
- These grueling hours, often in chaotic traffic, increase the risk of accidents, especially on two-wheelers, which lack the safety of cars.
- Health Toll:
- Prolonged riding leads to physical strain—back pain, fatigue, and dehydration—yet drivers have no choice but to continue, as their income depends on ride volume.
- The lack of structured shifts (Rapido claims flexibility with no fixed timings) traps drivers in a cycle of overwork, as they chase daily earnings to make ends meet.
- Critical View: Rapido’s so-called “flexibility” is a facade—drivers are forced into dangerous hours to earn a livable wage, while the company does little to ensure their safety or well-being.
Constant Mobile Use: A Recipe for Disaster
- Phone Dependency:
- Drivers must constantly use their phones to accept rides, navigate routes, and communicate with customers, often while riding, as highlighted by Reddit users on r/Bhopal.
- A Rapido rider’s post detailed checking ratings, ride history, and routes mid-journey, a common practice that diverts attention from the road.
- This distraction, especially during 10-12-hour shifts, heightens the risk of accidents, with two-wheelers already being vulnerable on India’s congested roads.
- Lack of Support:
- Rapido provides no hands-free tech or training to minimize phone use, leaving drivers to fend for themselves while juggling navigation and ride requests.
- The app’s design prioritizes customer convenience over driver safety, forcing constant interaction that endangers lives.
- Critical View: Rapido’s failure to address phone-related risks shows a blatant disregard for driver safety—profit-driven design trumps the lives of those on the road.
Summer Struggles: Drivers Suffer in the Heat
- Harsh Conditions:
- India’s summers, with temperatures often exceeding 40°C, are brutal for Rapido drivers, who ride open two-wheelers for 10-12 hours daily, as noted by drivers in Bengaluru.
- A 2017 Times of India report mentioned drivers like Sandeep M riding in peak hours, a challenge worsened by summer heat and post-rain road conditions—still relevant in 2025.
- Dehydration, heatstroke, and exhaustion are common, yet drivers can’t afford breaks, as every missed ride means lost income.
- No Relief from Rapido:
- Unlike Zomato, which provides accident and health insurance, Rapido offers minimal support—only accidental coverage, with no provisions for heat-related health issues.
- Drivers are left to bear the brunt of summer conditions, with no incentives or protective measures from Rapido to ease their struggle.
- Critical View: Rapido’s inaction on summer challenges is inexcusable—while drivers suffer in the heat, the company continues to profit without offering basic protections.
High Commissions: Rapido’s Profit Over Drivers’ Pain
- Exorbitant Fees:
- Rapido claims a “zero-commission” model for some services, but reality tells a different story—an 8% commission per ride (as per X user @varoun3883) and a subscription fee hiked to ₹50/day from ₹19 in 2023.
- A Reddit user in Bengaluru reported earning ₹98 after a ₹116 ride, with Rapido cutting ₹18, showing how commissions eat into already low earnings.
- For a ₹200 ride, drivers are left with ₹100-110 after fees, as per Business Today, leaving them with barely enough to cover fuel and maintenance.
- Comparison to Peers:
- Competitors like InDrive offer 10-12% commissions, while Uber and Ola charge 25-30%, but Rapido’s subscription model plus per-ride cuts make it equally burdensome for drivers.
- Rapido’s claim of a “driver-friendly” model is hollow—drivers still lose a significant chunk of their earnings, despite the company’s narrative of transparency.
- Critical View: Rapido’s high commissions and fees reveal a profit-first mindset—drivers are squeezed dry while the company boasts of “empowering” them, a clear exploitation tactic.
Government Inaction: Failing to Protect Drivers
- Lack of Oversight:
- The Indian government has failed to regulate bike-taxi aggregators like Rapido, despite their rapid growth—Rapido operates in over 100 cities with 17 lakh rides/day as of 2024.
- A 2023 Times of India report highlighted regulatory gaps, with bike taxis banned in Delhi due to safety concerns, yet Rapido operates unchecked in many states, exploiting legal loopholes.
- X user @ptrkarthikeyan demanded a crackdown on such companies, pointing out the government’s inaction on predatory practices that exploit gig workers.
- No Worker Protections:
- Unlike cab drivers, bike-taxi drivers lack specific labor protections under India’s Motor Vehicles Act, leaving them vulnerable to exploitation without minimum wage or safety standards.
- The Social Security Code 2020 aimed to cover gig workers, but implementation is slow—only 1% of gig workers are registered on the e-Shram portal as of 2025, per Web ID 11.
- Drivers face health risks and low earnings, yet the government offers no support, allowing companies like Rapido to operate with impunity.
- Critical View: The government’s failure to regulate Rapido is a betrayal of India’s gig workers—drivers risk their lives daily, but authorities turn a blind eye, prioritizing corporate growth over human lives.
No Rules, No Compliance: A Free Pass for Exploitation
- Regulatory Vacuum:
- Bike-taxi services like Rapido operate in a grey area—there are no specific compliance rules for two-wheeler aggregators under India’s transport laws, as noted in a 2023 Economic Times report.
- Rapido’s “zero-commission” claim for some services (Web ID 21) masks hidden fees, yet there’s no regulatory body to enforce transparency or penalize false claims.
- States like Karnataka and Tamil Nadu have issued notices to bike-taxi platforms, but enforcement is inconsistent, allowing Rapido to continue its exploitative practices unchecked.
- Driver Exploitation Enabled:
- Without rules, Rapido arbitrarily blocks driver accounts (X posts mention sudden deactivations), leaving them without income and no grievance mechanism to appeal.
- There’s no cap on commissions or subscription fees, allowing Rapido to hike charges (₹50/day subscription) without accountability, as drivers have no legal recourse.
- The lack of compliance means Rapido faces no penalties for unsafe practices, like encouraging 10-12-hour shifts without safety measures, endangering drivers’ lives.
- Critical View: The absence of rules gives Rapido a free pass to exploit drivers—without compliance, the company operates like a law unto itself, prioritizing profits over ethics.
Exploiting Unemployment: Preying on India’s Job Crisis
- A Desperate Workforce:
- India’s unemployment rate stands at 5.1% in April 2025, with youth unemployment (15-29 years) at a staggering 15-29%, pushing many into gig work as a last resort (Web ID 12).
- Rapido capitalizes on this crisis—15% of its new drivers in Hyderabad are first-timers, often educated individuals like Sreenivas, a computer engineering graduate, forced into driving due to lack of jobs (Web ID 2).
- The gig economy, projected to grow to 90 million jobs by 2030, traps workers in low-paying, high-risk roles, with companies like Rapido offering false promises of “steady income.”
- False Promises and Exploitation:
- Rapido lures drivers with claims of earning up to ₹20,000/month, but the reality is grim—drivers earn ₹7/km, netting ₹400 for 11 rides after 10-12 hours, as per Reddit posts.
- A Quora user noted that drivers spend ₹5,000/month on fuel alone, leaving little profit after Rapido’s fees, exploiting their desperation for any income in a job-scarce market.
- X user @ptrkarthikeyan called for a crackdown, arguing that such companies exploit unemployment by offering “jobs” that are more akin to modern-day slavery.
- Critical View: Rapido preys on India’s unemployed, dangling the carrot of gig work while chaining drivers to a life of risk and poverty—it’s a shameless exploitation of a national crisis.
Unfair Account Suspensions: No Reason, No Proof
- Arbitrary Suspensions:
- Rapido suspends driver accounts without strong reasons, often citing vague “policy violations” without providing proof or evidence, as noted in X posts about sudden deactivations.
- There’s no prior interaction or warning—drivers are simply locked out, losing their sole source of income overnight, with no transparency on the decision-making process.
- This practice leaves drivers powerless, as Rapido offers no formal appeal mechanism, forcing them to beg for reinstatement through unresponsive customer support.
- A Hypothetical Example:
- Ramesh, a Rapido driver in Bengaluru, had his account suspended after a customer falsely complained about a delayed ride due to traffic. Without contacting Ramesh or verifying the complaint, Rapido deactivated his account, leaving him jobless for weeks despite his 4.8-star rating over 1,000 rides.
- Such cases, while hypothetical, reflect real driver frustrations shared on platforms like Reddit, where users report similar experiences with gig platforms lacking accountability.
- Critical View: Rapido’s reckless account suspensions without proof or communication are a blatant abuse of power—drivers deserve fairness, not arbitrary punishment that strips them of their livelihood.
Crores for Rapido, Crumbs for Drivers: The Stark Divide
- Rapido’s Massive Profits:
- Rapido’s revenue soared to ₹443 crore in FY23, doubling yearly, with bike taxis facilitating 100,000 trips/day by FY2020, earning ₹11 per ride on average (20% commission in 2019).
- With 17 lakh rides/day across verticals in 2024, Rapido’s earnings are in crores, yet drivers see little of this wealth—full-timers earn ₹20,000/month, while part-timers make ₹6,000.
- The company raised $180 million in Series D funding, but these funds fuel expansion, not driver welfare, as Rapido reported a ₹439 crore loss in FY22 due to marketing, not driver support.
- Drivers Left Struggling:
- Drivers earn as little as ₹7/km, with daily earnings of ₹400 for 11 rides, as shared by a Reddit user in Dehradun, barely covering fuel costs (₹5,000/month, per Quora).
- In contrast, Rapido’s Hyderabad cab segment alone captured a 23-25% market share, yet 15% of new drivers are first-timers, lured by false promises of stable income.
- Critical Yet Hopeful Ending: Rapido’s crores come at the expense of drivers’ blood and sweat—it’s a shameful exploitation of India’s gig workers. But change is possible if we demand fair wages, safety measures, and government action for these unsung heroes. Let’s raise our voices for justice in 2025—a future where drivers thrive, not just survive!
https://zikzik.in/2025/04/23/mark-zuckerberg-why-is-instagram-a-playground/
https://www.statista.com
Don’t Fall for the YouTube Face Trap—It’s a Time-Wasting Mirage for Most!
