Rolling onto Kerala’s streets for the first time and with a promise of opportunity for women, bike-taxi platform Rapido has launched ‘Rapido Shakti’. This new initiative seeks to train women riders and onboard them as bike-taxi captains.
The initiative was unveiled in Thiruvananthapuram as part of the company’s Pink Mobility campaign. Rapido has partnered with the state motor vehicles department and the Kerala State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) to implement the initiative.
Rapido Shakti is designed to open up the bike-taxi sector to women who wish to earn through ride-hailing services while also strengthening safer first- and last-mile connectivity for women commuters.
Under the programme, selected participants will undergo professional riding and safety training through the KSRTC driving school before joining the platform.
The training will take place at the KSRTC Staff Training Centre in Thiruvananthapuram.
Each training cycle will accommodate up to 50 participants in batches of 25.
The programme includes modules on safe riding practices, traffic regulations, first aid, and customer service. Participants will also receive guidance on transport regulations governing online taxi and hire services.
On completing the training, the women will receive certification and will be onboarded as captains on the Rapido platform.
For Rapido, the programme is also about breaking a visible gap in the bike-taxi ecosystem, which is largely dominated by male riders.
Rajiv Bhyri, associate vice president of Rapido, said Kerala was chosen for the initiative considering the state’s social and developmental indicators.
Officials from the transport department also highlighted the initiative’s potential to expand livelihood opportunities while improving urban mobility. Transport Commissioner Nagaraju Chakilam said such programmes could help create a more inclusive mobility system while strengthening last-mile connectivity.
KSRTC chairman and managing director P S Pramoj Sanker said the partnership represents a meaningful step towards making the state’s roads more inclusive.
“Mobility is not just about transportation. It is about access to opportunity. By equipping women with professional riding skills and safety training, we are strengthening both livelihoods and public confidence,” added the KSRTC chairman.