VIJAYAWADA: This 39-year-old Ola bike rider is winning hearts for uniquely helping his customers. The summer season is almost there and many people are helping to pedestrians by providing drinking water and free buttermilk to quench their thirst. But, Unni Krishna Kumar, an Ola driver from Krishna Lanka arranged a sepal shield (roof) for his bike to protect his customers from the scorching sun.
Krishna Kumar saw the roof in the online market at Rs 9,000. He also installed a theft alarm on the bike. “Not only from the sun, but even when it rains, the customer won’t get wet under this roof, he said. Krishna Kumar earlier worked as a draftsman, civil supervisor and head of the security wing in many private companies, but has been working as an Ola driver for the past five years.
He shared his happiness and his customers' reaction to TNIE and said, “Many can go by autos or cars, but people who can’t afford rides in autos and cabs, will always choose Ola or Rapido bikes. This year, the summer heat is tremendously increasing and I have seen my customers facing trouble due to the scorching sun. It was difficult even for us also to take the customers for longer distance, in sunny or rainy season, both. Hence, I wanted to install a roof and front shield to give a comfortable and safe ride to my passengers. I saved my earnings for three months and installed this sepal shield on my bike.”
Explaining how his customers reacted, he said, “Customers liked it very much. Even after the ride, they wanted to continue the return journey and requested me to wait for another ride.”A customer named Sundaram, who travelled on Krishna Kumar’s bike said, “After the Covid-19 pandemic, everyone is trying to make a living for themselves. It is rare to see this rider spending money from his pockets to help others. The roof set-up is not even provided by his company, he arranged it by himself. I’m glad that I took a ride on his bike with all the comfort.”
“I hope to see a day where all the riders in the city will be seen with an innovation like this,” he opined.