Hey Deedee® for the first time ever ties-up with Dombivili Nagari Sahakari (DNS) Bank to give zero-down payment loan at special interest rates to over 100 economically challenged women to buy two-wheelers
Ten women riders presented two-wheelers under the joint women empowerment program by Hey Deedee® and CEAT Swayam initiative to encourage skill development and sustainable livelihood
by Suman Gupta
Mumbai…February 7, 2018… Hey Deedee®, India’s only all-women last mile logistic services company for the first time ever ties-up with Dombivili Nagari Sahakari (DNS) Bank to give zero-down payment loan at special interest rates to over 100 economically challenged women to buy two-wheelers. Ten women riders were presented two-wheelers under the joint women empowerment program by Hey Deedee® and CEAT Swayam initiative to encourage skill development and sustainable livelihood thereby creating an access. Ms. Revathi Roy, Serial Entrepreneur, Pioneer of Asia’s 1st Taxi service for women and Founder of Hey Deedee®, Mr. Parth Sarwate, Head RPG Foundation (CEAT Swayam) and Mrs Nandini Kulkarni, Vice Chairman, DNS Bank were present on this occasion.
Hey Deedee® offers last mile delivery service within the city, hassle-free booking on the application and employability for women, with an all-women parcel delivery fleet. Hey Deedee® conducts training and it is currently being provided in Mumbai, Nagpur, Pune and Bangalore. Women who are from less privileged socio-economic backgrounds are trained to become riders and thus empowered. The women undergo a 45-day training that includes road rules, markings, signs, training on a simulator to make them comfortable, on road training, self-defence, basic communication and soft skills and first aid besides defensive driving. The ladies are made road and job ready. Assistance is then provided to them for procurement of a two-wheeler loan. Dombivili Nagari Sahakari (DNS) Bank, for the first time ever has structured a special loan for these under privileged women which includes ‘Zero’ down payment and a special rate of interest to purchase the two-wheelers which offers them skilling and sustainable livelihood.
Ms. Revathi Roy, Serial Entrepreneur, Pioneer of Asia’s 1st Taxi service for women and Founder of Hey Deedee® said, “In a world where efficiency is the key and time is essential, Hey Deedee ® provides an instant solution to your parcel delivery problems. With a mission to train and employ 10,000 women by 2018, we currently have 2000+ women registered, all under different stages of training, and have 62 riders on the job, in Mumbai, Bangalore, Nagpur and Pune. Our riders work on the Hey Deedee ® instant parcel delivery platform (currently used by customers online, while the application is being developed pending funding), as well as for clients such as Amazon, Pizza Hut, Subway, Flipkart, E-com express, Shadowfax, Birdy’s, Brijwasi, etc. We currently take both a per delivery model (with Amazon) and a management percentage model (with E-comm Express) and fixed income model in the current growth stage.”
Ms. Roy further added that “We are extremely privileged to partner with DNS Bank and CEAT Swayam initiative to further our endeavour of women empowerment, skilling and providing sustainable livelihoods to these economically challenged women. Zero down payment loan at special interest for the women riders is a big boost and a significant step in that direction to encourage women to be financially independent. Most women find it difficult to make down payment as they have no/limited support from family hence this initiative by DNS Bank is indeed very commendable. Currently, the facility is extended to over 100 women and we hope that this number will soon be surpassed.”Mrs Nandini Kulkarni Vice Chariman, DNS Bank said, “We, at DNS bank aim to assist any person in genuine financial difficulty or in need of finance to fulfil their dreams; whether personal or professional. We believe that every such individual should have an institutional support and that they should not be prey to traditional moneylenders. We were very happy to create a Scheme which would help the Hey Deedees to be empowered and begin working. We recognise the potential of women and our aim is to ensure that we help as many women to become independent and move towards a better and more empowered India. It gives us great pride to be part of the Hey Deedee initiative”
CEAT Swayam Initiative, a unique women empowerment program was launched as Project Swayam in 2014. It looks beyond the conventional alternate livelihood training programs and focuses on promoting gender equality & women’s empowerment by driving powerful social change within the transport industry. CEAT strongly believes in breaking stereotypes in a fairly male dominated field and creating opportunities to pursue a career in driving. This program is also in alignment with the United Nation’s 3rd Millennium Development Goal of promoting gender equality and women empowerment and is also incorporated as a Sustainable Development Goal on economic equality and women empowerment. The program has garnered immense support from the Transport sector. This has enabled women drivers to work as Taxi Drivers, Forklift operators, in Driver-on-call services, in Valet parking services, as instructors, school van drivers, autorickshaw drivers and two-wheeler delivery personnel, amongst others. Hence CEAT Swayam initiative partnered with Hey Deedee to provide financial assistance to purchase the two-wheelers and free skill-based training. Hey Deedee has signed an MOU with RPG Foundation where Hey Deedee will train women from less privileged socio economic backgrounds and place the ladies so that they become financially independent and secure.
Mr. Parth Sarwate, Head RPG Foundation (CEAT Swayam) said, “We, at RPG Foundation, are very proud of our ‘Swayam’ initiative and deeply committed to support women from all strata of society to learn, engage and participate in the India demographic dividend story. Our program Swayam, encourages women from less privileged backgrounds to learn to drive and ride 4 wheelers and 2 wheelers respectively and take up earning opportunities that can help transform their lives. We, at RPG, strongly believe that women participation in the organized and unorganized sector is a critical developmental goal for our nation. Over the last 3 years, we have now supported over 2500+ women to take up driving jobs, and hope this number can grow exponentially in the years to come.”
Hey Deedee®, India’s only all-women last mile logistic services offering last mile delivery services within the city delivered record 150,000 parcels in 2017 for alliance partners Amazon, The Curry Brothers, The Bohri Kitchen, Subway, Herbivore, Shophop, Brijwasi, Pizza Hut, Ecomm Express, Ziptown, Spicebox, Everyday Gourmet kitchen, Pitaburg, Birdy’s and Snackboxwallah.Hey Deedee® has now become completely application based, so that both customers and businesses can avail of the parcel delivery service, in real-time, in a seamless fashion. Once a delivery is required to be done, the customer simply has to download and register on the application, feed in the pick-up and drop-off location, and receive push notifications when the rider has picked up the parcel, is in transit, and has dropped it off securely at the location. There will be several intra-city hubs with riders in constant movement, so that delivery is quick and efficient.
About Hey Deedee® : Hey Deedee® was started in August 2016 and is India’s only all-women last mile logistic services which delivers parcels across Mumbai, Nagpur, Pune and Bangalore. There are 100+ Hey Deedee® women riders across these four locations. Total staff strength across India is about 60.Incorporated as Zaffiro Learning, Revathy Roy set up Hey Deedee® along with financial investor Jagdish Gothi of Kamdhenu stores. Hey Deedee® mobilises women from low-income communities, trains them to drive two-wheelers and has them undertake last-mile delivery for companies like Amazon, Pizza Hut, Subway and logistics provider Shadowfax among others. Hey Deedee® hinges on the empowerment of women. The ladies come from economically challenged backgrounds where Hey Deedee® empowers them with a skill so that they can become financially independent and earn respect.
Hey Deedee® works with alliance partners which include Amazon, Godrej Nature’s Basket, cake deliveries, Snackboxwala, Fresh India Organics, EGK. Some of the past clients include Pizza Hut, Subway, Heribvore, ZipTown, Brijwasi, ShopHop and thousands of retail customers.
Training and funding partners of Hey Deedee®:
RPG (Ceat Swayam)
BARTI (Babasaheb Ambedkar Research and Training Institute)
MSSDS (Maharashtra State Skill Development Society)
Hero
ICICI
Tech Mahindra Foundation
