Last mile connectivity is a huge issue in Hyderabad, and many commuters suffer due to a lack of reliable, affordable commute. Those who use the Metro as a mode of transport on a daily basis have to struggle to make it to the station and back home. Seeing this problem, Kaaman Agarwal and his former roommate Girish Nagpal came up with a start-up called MetroRide, to make the last mile of commuting hassle-free.

Kaaman Agarwal, CTO and co-founder of MetroRide, reveals that several non-Metro users have commute problems. They don’t use the Metro, which is a cheap, reliable, and safe way to travel in cities like Hyderabad that have heavy traffic through the day. That’s the reason why both Kaaman and Girish brainstormed to create MetroRide.

That’s how they came up with what people wanted – a first and last-mile ride-hailing service that connects metro stations with high-request destinations. They operate through an AI-powered cloud-based application to provide 100 percent green travel solutions to customers.

In their system, the commuters are willing to walk 100 meters to reach the pickup points so that there is no waste of time, and the drivers get to benefit from 50-60 rides per day. Their start-up launched its electric auto and bike service along with Hyderabad Metro Rail Limited (HMRI), L&T Metro Rail Limited, and support from WRI India and UK charity Shell Foundation. Their first rides were from Parade Grounds and Raidurg Metro stations. Soon, they plan to add 10 more stations to their itinerary.

The start-up uses a tech platform that controls all operations, including identifying fraud rides and revenue leakages. And for those who fear EVs going up in flames, the founder duo say they have partnered with the likes of Piaggio, Mahindra, and a couple of other original equipment manufacturers or OEMs.