Global Investors Meet 2025 | Rapido to launch pink bike taxis in Karnataka this year 

Ride hailing service Rapido co-founder Pavan Guntupalli has announced that the company will launch pink taxis in Karnataka.  

“I am glad to announce that this year, Karnataka will have pink bikes, service by the women for the women, which is one of our initiatives for women empowerment, creating 25,000 jobs just within this year for women,” he said while responding to a question from the audience during a session at Global Investors Meet Karnataka 2025. 

Sharing the journey of the company, Mr. Guntupalli revealed that in 2015 when the company was started, the first 15 drivers were his team members and himself, and the feedback from the women passengers then was that they felt safe.  

“But as time progressed, obviously India is the land of diversity, we have hit a point where the women said they are more comfortable with women,” he said announcing the new initiative.  

Create more opportunities for women

Noting that 35% of the jobs created by the company are in smaller towns, Mr Guntupalli said the team is constantly looking for ways to increase the number of women entrepreneurs and jobs for women.  

“That is going to be a big success metric for us,” he said.  

Radhika Gupta, MD and CEO at Edelweiss Mutual Fund, who was a panellist at the session, pointed out that it was important to create more opportunities for women. 

“As a CEO, I spend more time in tier-2 and tier-3 India than I do in tier-1 India. And I absolutely believe that until you lift women in all stratas, you will be working like an engine with one wing. You need to have the economy to work like an engine with two wings. You have to create more opportunities for women as entrepreneurs, as job creators, as investors,” she said.